Bear Digest

Bears survey trade market after losing Dayo Odeyingbo for the year

It's on GM Ryan Poles now to add defensive end help to provide relief for Montez Sweat and Austin Booker after the starting edge rusher suffered a season-ending injury.
Gene Chamberlain|
Austin Booker suddenly has a lot of pressure on his shoulders after a season-ending injury to starter Dayo Odeyingbo thrust him into a starting role and requires the Bears to seek trade help at defensive end.
Austin Booker suddenly has a lot of pressure on his shoulders after a season-ending injury to starter Dayo Odeyingbo thrust him into a starting role and requires the Bears to seek trade help at defensive end. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

It's likely to be costly but the Bears must pay the price now at defensive end with the season-ending loss of edge starter Dayo Odeyingbo to a torn Achilles.

The free agent acquisition can look forward to a tough rehab from an injury that frequently takes up to a year to get past. Austin Booker will get to play most of the snaps at that position now. Without Odeyingbo and with Shemar Turner out for the year, they're without two edge but also Dominique Robinson has a high ankle sprain.

"I thought Book played a nice game yesterday," coach Ben Johnson said. "I was very pleased to see that for his first game back. So no (not worried), I do have a lot of confidence there. Hopefully we’ll get Dom Robinson back too. He was doing some nice things there early in the season as well. We’ve got some depth. You can never have too many pass rusher.

"You can never have too many cover players on the back end either. That’s how I have always felt since I’ve been in this league.”

Actually, they don't have depth now, at least not proven edge players but he's right about the need always for players at that position. So the trade market beckons for GM Ryan Poles by Tuesday at 3 p.m.

"I know Ryan and his crew have been doing their due diligence  all throughout the fall, all the way up until tomorrow to make sure we’re turning over every stone to make sure if there’s a way that we can improve this roster, we’ll do that," Johnson said. "But I feel good about the guys we have on the roster currently."

Trading now will be a case of biting the bullet and doing what they must. The attitude by Poles has always been to preserve his draft picks, but he didn't mind giving up a future fourth-round pick to draft Booker. So giving up as much as a second or third shouldn't hurt too much.

"Those are always great questions. Ryan and I have a constant dialogue on  players that might be available," Johnson said. "We talk nonstop about this and we've been doing it for a while now. He's doing, like I said, his due diligence to making sure that we look at everyone that could be available and that could help this football team in the here and the now, and also have in the back of our head what the ramifications of that also are (long term), the consequences when you give up capital, whether it's players or draft picks, what that does to your roster in the long-term.

"It is a balancing act, but it's one that I think we have a really good process and a lot of communication on."

The Bears missed on a chance for Jaelan Phillips, the Miami edge rusher. He was acquired in a trade by the Eagles from Miami earlier Monday. There had been reports the Bears had interest in him. It cost th Eagles a third-round pick.

Because Odeyingbo was a more stout player who fit the Dennis Allen defensive scheme as a run stopper/edge rusher, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were looking for someone in the plus-260 range for weight. Booker isn't that type of player, and is only in his second year. He just became active Sunday after a knee injury in preseason landed him on IR.

Booker had a strip-sack in the game.

Pro Football Focus gave Booker the highest grade of any Bears player for pass rush on Sunday, an 85.8 for pass rush for 31 snaps. Gervon Dexter recovered the fumble caused by Booker on the sack of Joe Flacco and it led to a field goal. Booker has 2 1/2 career sacks and seven pressures according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference.

Players actually on the trade market could include Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson, Miami's Bradley Chubb, New Orleans' Carl Granderson and Cam Jordan. Both Granderson and Jordan played against the Bears last month and played a huge chunk of their careers for Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

Speculation the Giants would trade Kayvon Thibodeaux appears unfounded. Dianna Russini reported the Giants have told teams they want a first-round pick in exchange. That would have been interesting for the Bears and especially the Giants since they play each other this week.

Cleveland's Myles Garrett has repeatedly demanded a trade but the Browns are resistant to that. Besides, his salary would take the Bears far over the cap and would require cutting someone or restructuring several contracts if it's even possible.

The Raiders have also said they are not trading Maxx Crosby, but their season is slipping away now after yet another tight loss and perhaps they would listen to requests.

The problem the Bears have for trading at this point in the season and with few edges on their roster is 1) the competition and 2) their own desperation.

Whoever has a qualified edge is going to demand the highest compensation in a trade for draft picks. The Lions, 49rs, Cowboys and several other teams could be seeking an edge besides the Bears.

The Bears have $7.88 million available in cap space now according to Overthecap.com.

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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.