Bear Digest

How Ryan Poles' option to move one player for picks appears limited

Market circumstances and salary are factors why the Chicago Bears GM could find it difficult if he tried trading one player Pro Football Focus labels "available."
Gene Chamberlain|
If Bears GM Ryan Poles wants to trade away a player in this draft, the best option might be in the backfield says PFF.
If Bears GM Ryan Poles wants to trade away a player in this draft, the best option might be in the backfield says PFF. | Photo: Chicago Bears video

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Chicago Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles has not been bashful about making trades immediately prior to or during drafts, although dealing picks for picks or for players has been his preference.

Still, he did trade Khalil Mack for a draft pick before the outset of free agency in 2022 but that was as much a salary dump move as it was about acquiring a second-round pick.

Poles has an option to turn to if he wants to deal away a player for a pick in this draft, according to Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman in a Friday story about NFL veterans who could be on the trade block. Wasserman believes the player the Bears have who is most likely to be on the block is running back D'Andre Swift.

"The former second-rounder compiled just a 65.7 rushing grade last season, leading to speculation that Chicago could upgrade at the position," Wasserman concludes.

First, in fairness to the Bears and Swift, that's pomposity on PFF's part. It seems very unlikely the Bears looked at the PFF grade Swift put up and decided they needed to upgrade at the position.

It would more likely be a case where Ben Johnson sees a better all-purpose option at running back available because PFF grades are not some sort of universal stat all teams refer back to for analysis. They're merely a number PFF comes up with for itself and readers.

Wasserman does call reports about Ashton Jeanty being of interest to the Bears as another reason for thinking Swift would be on the block and says Swift, "...could be left without a starting role despite an $8 million salary."

Wasserman also thinks it doesn't even have to be Jeanty who triggers such a move because the Bears are well equipped with two second-round picks to draft one of the other backs as a starter.

The Bears' interest in a back does appear real, or they wouldn't be bringing Jeanty to Halas Hall for a 30 visit, and SMU running back Brashard Smith for that matter as well.

Forces working against a trade

It's this trade discussion that just doesn't seem real.

Salary cap-wise for the Bears, it does make sense to trade Swift if they had the opportunity to draft Jeanty or they saw one of the other backs as an instant upgrade at starter.

According to Overthecap.com, they would save $6.66 million immediately against the cap but would have to eat $2.66 million in dead cap. Any Bears move involving the cap is touchy at this point because OTC has them at $4.8 million in remaining effective cap space.

If the trade came after June 1, it would be an even bigger savings of $8 million with $1.3 million lost to dead cap.

The real problem here is what team wants to give up draft pick compensation to acquire a back who put up the numbers Swift did last year, and also pay a salary of $7.4 million this year and $6.4 million next year? It would be surprising if there are any.

Younger backs who are draft picks this year are much less expensive.

In addition, this is being regarded as a tremendously deep class of running back by draft analysts.

In fact, it was Wasserman, himself, who wrote a story about the great running back depth of this draft class.

"Powerful runners, explosive athletes, and dynamic receivers are available for all teams deep into Day 3 of draft weekend," Wasserman said in the story. If that's the case, why would a team even want to pay through the nose in terms of salary and by giving away draft picks, for a player who averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards a carry last year?

Rather, it seems far more likely that because of the draft being so strong for backs, the Bears will be keeping Swift and he'll get the chance to show his 2024 season was simply an aberration, an off-year operating in a badly coordinated offense that was run by rookie quarterback.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.