Bears with More Trade Value

Analysis: It's not as if the Bears have a lot of players who could be used in draft day trades but some are more susceptible to it than others.

Draft day isn't always about selecting players.

It can also be about moving players.

The draft rates right up there with days just before NFL trade deadline and right before the start of free agency as a time when players get dealt.

It's not just premier players, either.

Sure, Hollywood Brown got sent to the Cardinals by the Ravens and AJ Brown from the Titans to the Eagles last year during the draft, but also the Browns traded cornerback Troy Hill back to the Rams for a fifth-round pick last year.

It happens.

The Bears have several players who rate as more tradeable than others during this draft, although it's most likely it would occur after they had actually selected someone to replace them. After all, this isn't exactly a roster loaded with depth and they need whatever they have.

None of these players who could be deemed potential trade fodder are what anyone could classify as actually destined for movement, or players with their bags already packed.

It's just that their situations with the team make them more logical players to trade than others. In at least one case, there already have been numerous rumors about trades.

Here are the players most susceptible to trade

1. G Teven Jenkins

Any list of Bears players up for trade always starts with Teven Jenkins. This really doesn't make much sense considering he graded out as the third-best guard in the league according to Pro Football Focus, and the Bears offensive line can use any bit of talent they can scrounge up. Great 2022 improvement after he switched to right guard from tackle indicates his value is up. But the Bears would need to pick up either a guard or center to start in the draft if Jenkins were dealt.

However, even Jenkins had to concede he isn't a lock to be in Chicago this year after last season ended, following a 2022 when he was constantly rumomred to be on the way out during preseason.

"I mean, we have a lot of cap space and a lot of opportunities in this draft, so I really don't know how it's going to go," Jenkins said after last season. "I don't ever want to be the person to day, yeah, I have a spot.' I don't want to do that because I always want to stay hungry and feel like I still have to chase my job even if I have it secure."

For now, it looks like he's slated to move positions to left guard with Nate Davis coming in to play right guard and Cody Whitehair center. Who knows how it will look for Jenkins if the draft delivers a guard or center to the Bears.

2. CB Jaylon Johnson

His play has been exemplary and he always wants to be the one who gets the toughest receiver to cover in man situations, but with a contract extrension due and cornerbacks rating among those who get the biggest deals, the Bears could find it's better to draft a cornerback in the first two rounds and trade Johnson. Also, part of any deal of this type for any player should be a pick this year so they can restock their cornerback supply. One other factor entering into a deal involving Johnson would be his injury record. He has missed 11 games with injuries and each season had time away. It might be a factor in wanting to move Johnson but such a record doesn't help trade value. The Bears secondary can't afford to lose Johnson. The secondary struggled to make up for his absence at season's end when he went on IR last year. They would likely need picks this year in the draft for him to be dealt because they'd need to get another cornerback.

3. WR Darnell Mooney

There are several Bears in Mooney's shoes, entering final years of contracts and needing extensions. Mooney would be more likely to be dealt if they spent their first-round pick on Jaxon Smith Njigba or possibly a second-round slot receiver. GM Ryan Poles loves Mooney's work ethic and attitude. Then again, it's been the players Poles says he really wants to keep who end up leaving town. He had great compliments for David Montgomery, Robert Quinn and even Roquan Smith will before they were dealt.

On the other hand, Mooney's value might be less because of his foot injury last season.

4. DE Trevis Gipson

Gipson might have trade value because in another system he had seven sacks while starting only a portion of the games in 2021. His production dropped while learning a new system. If a team in a 3-4 like the Bears used from 2015-21 came along looking for end help, they'd get a player who ranked sixth in the league in run stop win rate among defensive ends last year, according to ESPN. The sack total was down lsat year but he still had pressure and stopped the run and he's in the last year of his contract.

5. TE Cole Kmet

There's no one upset about his production the last two years and his value is up. He also needs an extension and this year it would be relatively easy to find a tight end in the draft because it's the best year for tight ends in quite a while, according to Pro Football Focus and NFL Draft Bible. Working against this kind of move is how difficult it is to develop a tight end. They all seem to need a year or two before they're ready to make impacts. Getting rid of Kmet, who is strong as a blocker besides being a solid receiver, and bringing in a rookie would mean a step back for the offense at the position immediately, even if it might eventually be an upgrade. The addition Robert Tonyan as second tight end doesn't really make dealing Kmet more likely because he plays a different type of tight end position in the offense. He is the "U" or move tight end and Kmet is in-line or the "Y" tight end who is responsible for a good deal more blocking along the edge in the wide zone scheme.

6. WR Chase Claypool

Considering they just spent the first pick of Round 2 to acquire him and he hasn't really had a fair chance to prove himself, they'll give Claypool every chance to show he belongs It would be extremely unlikely for him to get sent anywhere in a draft trade. If it ever even happens it would most likely occur prior to the regular season or at the trade deadline. He also needs a new contract, but in the case of the others up for new deals, they're known commodities at Halas Hall. Claypool's possibilities are not yet known.

7. G Lucas Patrick

His contract expires after this year and he hasn't really had a role yet, which makes him expendable. However, his value wouldn't exactly be high after two inuries limited his participation to seven games a year ago. Patrick can play both guard spots or center and there is always demand for versatility, plus his contract is up after this year and it's not exceedingly large. Still, a team would want to be willing to absorb $3.8 million in salary this year, which is a decent amount to bring in a player who might be depth more than a starter. 

The most likely trades the Bears would pull off in this draft would involve Round 1, No. 9 and a deal down, a combination of picks to move up in Rounds 2, 3 or 4 or a deal down again in Round 5 for a few later picks.

Trading any of these players or others seems very unlikely, although all of the players who are on their first contracts would seem more susceptible to this than others. 

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