Predicted Bears Blockbuster Trade Would Take Chicago's Defense to Championship Level

The Chicago Bears might have a chance to make a blockbuster trade that would completely change the face of the defense for the better.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

With the 2026 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the expectation is the Chicago Bears will add to the interior of their defensive line.

There's a few reasons why that's the case. For starters, the Bears had the sixth-worst run defense in the NFL last season and have not made a move to address that problem.

Also, Chicago would benefit from having more pass-rush juice on the inside after Gervon Dexter was the only interior defender to tally more than 1.5 sacks, and the Bears were tied for the sixth-fewest sacks in the NFL in total.

The problem with relying on the draft to address that need is the lack of a guarantee that whoever the Bears take will solve one of both of those issues, whether that be right away or at all.

With Super Bowl aspirations in 2026, taking that risk is just not a sound strategy and instead Chicago should be looking for a veteran addition, either via trade or free agency.

Bears predicted to trade for Dexter Lawrence

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has made trade predictions for teams and one of them involves the Bears acquiring New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence.

Knox proposes a deal that sees the Bears sending a 2026 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2027 third-round pick to New York for the three-time Pro Bowler.

"If the Giants make Lawrence available at a reasonable price point, the Chicago Bears should be inclined to pounce. Chicago emerge as a legitimate contender this past season, but its defense needs improvement," Knox said. "Adding Lawrence could help Chicago bolster a run defense that ranked 29th in yards per carry allowed and a pass rush that generated only 35 combined sacks."

Is Dexter Lawrence available for trade?

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Lawrence has requested a trade from the Giants over dissatisfaction with his contract. The two-time second-team All-Pro wants a raise and the two sides haven't been able to hammer something out the last few years.

ESPN reporter and Giants beat writer Jordan Raanan is skeptical that the Giants would be willing to move Lawrence, though, simply because he's so important to their defense. The Giants are already short on talent upfront, also.

"Yet the Giants can't just move on even if a strong trade offer lands in their lap," he said. "They've made moves this offseason based on the assumption that Lawrence would be a key piece to their defense. They were planning on him making a significant impact."

"Defensive line is one of New York's thinnest positions. Next in line behind Lawrence are Roy Robertson-Harris and second-year defensive lineman Darius Alexander," Ranaan added. "The personnel may not be enough to sustain this unit even with Lawrence."

Raanan also notes that the feeling is Lawrence will command at least a second-round pick, so Knox's proposal almost certainly isn't good enough. Chances are Lawrence will command enough interest that the Giants could land a first-round pick or a second and then some.

All that said, a Lawrence trade remains possible after head coach John Harbaugh made it clear that "everybody's tradable" on the Giants' roster.

Lawrence can take Bears to championship level

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

We touched on the Bears' issues in run defense and the pass-rush and Lawrence can help both of those areas in a big way.

The veteran had a down season in 2025 in what was a nightmare year for the Giants as a whole, but that was an outlier for his career and there's reason to believe a change of scenery to an actual winning team will help.

In the three years prior, Lawrence notched 21 sacks, including 7.5 in 2022 and nine in 2024. In those same years, Lawrence posted Pro Football Focus grades of 81.9, 89.5 and 83.8 in run defense, ranking first, third and second among interior linemen.

Having Lawrence on the inside would instantly bolster Chicago's run defense, and a duo of Lawrence and Dexter would be a total nightmare for opposing quarterbacks.

After we've seen recent Super Bowl winners put themselves in position to win the Big Game by dominating in the trenches, it's safe to say adding Lawrence would take Chicago's defense to another level, and a championship level, at that.