Paying the Price in Trade Up with Bears

It might be a pointless endeavor for league general managers interested in trading up to draft Caleb Williams because of the Bears' need for a better passing attack.

However, GM Ryan Poles said it is offer season.

"Again, I'm wide open for anything, so if someone wants to call me with an idea, that's fine," Poles said.

Those who put in a call to Poles will need to know picks alone might not do the trick.

Last year Poles has said he wanted a good player in the package if he was making a deal, in addition to the draft picks. The roster was void of talent after 2022, a throwaway first year when they gutted the roster because of their poor cap situation.

The Athletic's Joe Person, Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns reported the players being sought were either Derrick Brown, Brian Burns or DJ Moore, then they eventually acquired Moore.

The Bears are back in the first spot again thanks to Carolina and because they have a few uncertain roster spots, it can't be assumed they're going to be able to fill all their needs in free agency. Doing it in the draft could result in time needed to develop rookies.

The success of Moore this year could convince Poles to seek a player again in any trade down, as long as it's a high-quality player without a ridiculous cap cost.

What could be thrown into a package besides top draft picks is a matter for debate, but it needs to be someone of the highest quality because there is a No. 1 QB at stake and unlike lst year when the Bears knew less about Justin Fields, it is perceived as a need position.

Chad Jensen of FanNation's Mile High Huddle discussed this with Ryan Main on a recent Mile High Huddle Podcast and the topic was whether the Broncos could offer cornerback Patrick Surtain Jr., their own 12th pick in Round 1 and a second-round pick in 2025 to move up to No. 1 from No. 12. Main said: "They would not even pick up the phone."

This is probaby true. It's a weak effort but not only because of the lack of compensation. The Bears got much more to move down from No. 1 to No. 9 last year but the reason that trade occurred was what they needed.

The Bears do not need a cornerback. They have three outside cornerbacks now who they are entirely confident in, and Jaylon Johnson was graded the No. 1 cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus.

Although Johnson is a free agent, the Bears can easily tag him and keep him if they can't get a deal done. Sure, its' much more than they would pay Surtain but the benefit of payin Surtain less would last only a few more years anyway and then he'd be one of the higher-paid cornerbacks in the league.

Johnson already knows their defense, fits in well and is a locker room leader. Trading for a cornerback does nothing for the Bears.

The draft pick compensation is easy enough to determine based on what the Panthers gave up last year to move up from No. 9 to No. 1. Here's what teams would really need to include in trade packages with their top picks to acquire that No. 1 pick.

1. Defensive End

Didn't they just get Sweat? Yes, they did, but DeMarcus Walker looks more like a stout rush edge and someone who can be a contributor in the pass rush rotation. He wasn't starting on the other side when Yannick Ngakoue was healthy. But Ngakoue suffered a season-ending ankle injury and wasn't really close to being the pass rusher he'd been in past seasons in schemes when he didn't need to worry about the run as much. He's a free agent, anyway. So the Bears need another edge rusher.

2. Defensive Tackle

They drafted two but both are developing and it often requires two or three years for players at this position to make big impacts. Javon Hargrave had fewer sacks as a rookie than Gervon Dexter Sr. had this year as a rookie. He had only two in his first two years but then stepped it up in year 3. Dexter Lawrence had only three tackles for loss and 2 1/2 sacks as a rookie. Bears offensive linemen talk about him now like he's Thanos. They were dominated by him in 2022 when they faced him but it was his fourth year and he had 7 1/2 sacks then. The Bears need a three technique who is dominant in their defensive line badly to complete what Eberflus wants to do with rush and cover in this scheme. The other reason they need this is current veteran three technique Justin Jones. He's an unrestricted free agent and although he improved doing it in his second season at the position, a dominant player there would be a big upgrade. It's the position Eberflus has called most key to his defense. The only reason it's not No. 1 on the list is they did draft two and one could suddenly blossom with more playing time. Dexter showed signs of this last year.

3. Center

Drafting a center is always an option but free agency would be more likely because it's another position where players need extensive time on task to develop. Also, a rookie can really get taken to task at this position where making line calls on blocking assignments can be critical. For instance, John Michael Schmitz Jr. was a center everyone in the draft last year held with high regard and he wound up graded 37th overall by Pro Football Focus as a rookie, even lower than Bears center Lucas Patrick (32nd).

4. Wide Receiver

Sure, the Bears just got Moore in this way, but they badly need more effective second and third receivers. Deebo Samuel has Brandon Aiyuk. The Bengals had Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Dallas had CeeDee Lamb and either Brandin Cooks or Michael Gallup, Miami has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Moore needs a sidekick, after Darnell Mooney didn't do it well enough. This would rank higher but it would appear the Bears are positioned to do something about this in the draft and high-quality receivers often make rapid impacts. This is a position where cost is so high for veterans that it's almost better to get the younger player. An example: Higgins is slated for free agency if he is not tagged and Spotrac.com sets his market value at $18.6 million a year, which is almost what Moore's contract average is.

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