A Bears trade that would give the Cowboys exactly what they want

Offensive line. EDGE. Safety.

Those are arguably the Chicago Bears’ three biggest positional needs coming into the 2025 NFL Draft. And if any of those holes are filled in the first round, nobody who cares about the Bears—fans, players, front office mavens, whoever—will be bummed.

Unless you’re a running back truther.

A.J. All the Way!

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty is one of the hottest—if not the hottest—offensive name being bandied about in draft circles. No surprise, as he’s been comped with some of the top ball carriers of the past two generations, everybody from LaDainian Tomlinson to Christian McCaffrey, from Emmitt Smith to Saquon Barkley.

There’s no concrete proof on this one, but vibes and logic tell us that if Jeanty is available when the Bears make their pick at the ten-spot, he’ll be very much in the mix, as rookie head coach Ben Johnson has proven to be a huge proponent of the two-headed-monster backfield. And man, Big Ben would have a ton of fun with a pairing of Jeanty and D’Andre Swift.

But there’s a mercurial draft picker who wants in on the Jeanty sweepstakes: Dallas Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones

A.J. + J.J.?

🚨NEWS: The Dallas #Cowboys are the strong FAVORITES to draft Boise State superstar running back Ashton Jeanty, per @BovadaOfficial.

Jerry Jones stood next to him at the urinal last weekend and is now adamant about drafting him.

Jeanty. CeeDee. Dak. Would be one hell of a trio pic.twitter.com/PLAP7xSo0k
— LMF Football (@LMF_Football) January 22, 2025

For the last several months, Jeanty has been linked with the Cowboys—understandable, as he’d be a wonderful security blanket for Dak Prescott—and the Texas native himself is on board with decamping in Dallas.

Ashton Jeanty talking the possibility of getting drafted by his hometown Dallas Cowboys.

“It would just be a special opportunity to play for the Cowboys.” pic.twitter.com/VuVUasHE4A
— Jacob Richman (@JacobHRichman) January 31, 2025

It seems fait accompli…that is, unless Jeanty is off the board when Jones picks at 12.

But what if Jeanty is still in play when the Bears are on the clock at 10? Would Johnson and GM Ryan Poles scoop him up, thus creating one helluva dynamic backfield? Or would they take a pass in order to grab a need-filling O-lineman?

Or would they take a wheeling-‘n’-dealing phone call from Jones?

Here’s the Deal

DALLAS RECEIVES

Chicago 2025 first round draft pick (10)

Chicago 2025 seventh round draft pick (242, via MIN)

CHICAGO RECEIVES

Dallas 2025 first round draft pick (12)

Dallas 2025 third round draft pick (76)

If the Bears pull the trigger on this, they’d likely miss out on a top-shelf OL like LSU’s Will Campbell or Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr.. On the plus side, EDGE James Pearce Jr. should still be around, and the Tennessee product is a straight-up beast who would fill a need.

Adding Dallas’ third rounder into Chicago's pile o' picks would give Poles five of the first 76 selections, and if he can’t amp up his offensive line with that much early-round draft capital, well, at that point, it wouldn’t be unfair to say he’s as bad at his job as bumbling Chicago Bulls VP of Basketball Ops Artūras Karnišovas.

Will They or Won’t They?

Poles isn’t afraid to make a major Draft Day move—see: Wright, Darnell—so if this ends up on the table, consummation isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

So if Ben Johnson has any say in the matter, there’s a fair chance that Jerry Jones will be one bummed-out drafter.