In the weeks and days leading up to Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, Chicago Bears fans were wondering if the team would make a move to either bolster the defensive line or add another playmaker at cornerback.
Before Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, you could make the case that CB and EDGE held the same amount of weight in terms of importance. However, once Dayo Odeyingbo suffered a torn Achilles, it put Bears GM Ryan Poles under pressure to make a deal to add a pass rusher before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Ultimately, the Bears settled on Cleveland Browns defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, giving up a sixth-round pick in exchange for the pass rusher and a seventh-round pick. The acquisition isn’t a huge needle mover as Tryon-Shoyinka has 0 sacks on the season.
Bears fans hope he can provide some production and value off the edge, but Poles will regret not pushing his chips forward for Bradley Chubb.
Bears Needed to Trade for Bradley Chubb, Not Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on Tuesday
If the Bears want to make a serious push for a playoff spot, the answer to their pass-rushing woes was the 29-year-old Chubb. It’s not like Chicago wasn’t reportedly discussing the idea of trading for Jaelen Phillips, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
However, that was a moot point as the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in with a 2026 third-round pick. Was that type of capital for a player on an expiring contract too rich for Poles? Likely. We saw them give up the bare minimum for a veteran edge who played more snaps on special teams than defense this season.
If the Bears were to acquire Chubb, it might’ve only cost them a fourth, maybe, if Phillips went for a third, and he’s younger. Chubb would’ve given them an instant impact player and someone who could draw some of the attention away from Montez Sweat.
Chubb’s four sacks would be tied for first in Chicago with Sweat, while his seven QB pressures would be good for third on the Bears behind Gervon Dexter Sr. (10) and Sweat (12). Now, Chubb’s overall defensive grade isn’t great at 57.7, per Pro Football Focus. But if the Bears were to acquire him, he would’ve only accounted for $1.8M of cap space for the rest of this season.
The rest of Chubb’s contract isn’t the best, as he has cap hits of $31.2 million and $31.5 million in 2026 and 2027. But if you’re the Bears’ front office, that would be a problem you figure out later, as you have a team that could be competing for a playoff spot in December and January.
Between Chubb and Tryon-Shoyinka, I trust the former to wreak havoc. Chubb has the resume to back it up (43.5 sacks, two Pro Bowls) and has shown that when healthy, he can have 7.5 sacks or more in a season.