Bear Digest

Bears Must Beware of a Larry Ogunjobi Situation with Maxx Crosby

Ryan Poles' experience with injuries and signings needs to be front and center if he makes a lowball offer for Maxx Crosby.
Gene Chamberlain|
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby reacts after the Bears jumped at the snap at Soldier Field.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby reacts after the Bears jumped at the snap at Soldier Field. | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The shocking cancelation of the Maxx Crosby trade by the Raiders to the Baltimore Ravens must take every Bears fan back a few years.

Although definitely on a lesser scale, it already occurred for GM Ryan Poles. His very first signing in free agency of 2022 ended abruptly. As reporters waited in the Halas Hall press room to hear from Poles about free agency, the signing of defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was voided because the Bears didn't like the results of his physical.

The difference in this case is Crosby was traded and not signed, and this all makes for an even bigger disaster.

Several teams have altered their free agency approaches because of Crosby being dealt. Maybe the biggest loser in this was Dallas, which Fox Sports reported as offering a first-round and second-round pick. Other reports said it was a first-rounder this year, second-rounder next year and a player.

Baltimore gave up two first-round picks for him but upon an examination they Ravens determined he wasn't up to their physical standards. This all looks rather fishy because it was the Raiders who signed away free agent center Tyler Lindberbaum from Baltimore at a ridiculous $81 million deal for three years when the Ravens wanted him back. Hmmm. The cynical might say they did this as retribution.

Domino effect

Since then, the Cowboys went out and traded a fourth-round pick to Green Bay for edge rusher Rashan Gary and added his salary and bonus payment to their salary cap commitment.

Now there will be all kinds of speculation about who could take Crosby off the hands of the Raiders.

The Dallas Cowboys fell short in the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes. The Bears were reported by SI's Albert Breer to have kept an eye on the situation without getting in an offer.

Edge rusher is still something the Bears have only addressed in a minor way by bringing in Kentavius Street. In fact, they haven't really addressed it because Street is only a reserve defensive end in a 3-4 scheme in Atlanta. He's no edge player. He weighs 315 pounds. That's even bigger than Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen likes, and he likes them stout.

Street equates to a tackle who could slide outside on very rare occasion in the Bears' scheme.

The need is there

So, there is still a gaping hole at the end position for the Bears with Dominique Robinson now in Houston and Dayo Odeyingbo expected to be less than 100% when training camp starts due to the torn Achilles he suffered at the start of November.

The need is there and it would have been a position for the Bears to address in the draft or later free agency when it's cheaper.

When you study what the Bears have done so far in free agency, they've been frugal. They could make a move that many of those interested in Crosby before can't make, because those teams jumped right into free agency after losing out on the Raiders pass rusher and signed other players.

Perhaps the Bears could get involved in this and take Crosby off the Raiders' hands in a trade. Vegas is definitely going to need to lose that salary now after committing so much to Linderbaum. 

The whole issue is whether the Bears would be facing another Ogunjobi issue.

Crosby reportedly had surgery to repair meniscus damage and the Ravens used this as a reason to negate the trade. Such surgeries are not usually long-term problems, maybe four months for complete recovery.

Just as the Bears did earlier, they need to keep an eye on it again and be ready to move. But if they were thinking of making an offer, then it needs to be a lot less now. Crosby is to be treated as damaged goods. The Raiders should not get the same amount they got from the Ravens.

Maybe a first next year and a third now for an offer, or two seconds from this year. At this point, though, the Bears appear to have a good plan to be sound in their approach to free agency and to build in the draft. Trading picks for Crosby would trash that plan.

The Bears have been through this type of thing before and should be in no hurry to get involved unless they're 100% sure about his health and get him at a bargain basement price. No first-rounder from this year should be part of it.

It’s caveat emptor—let the buyer beware.

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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.

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