What does the Bears' quiet trade deadline imply about where they're going?

The Bears are currently 5-3 and only a half-game back in the NFC North. They've gotten decimated by injuries on the defensive side of the ball, and just gave up 42 points to the Joe Flacco-led Bengals.

If there were ever a time to overpay for a quality reinforcement at defensive end or cornerback, this would've been it. We saw Chicago do just that in Poles' first two years at the helm, when he traded two second-round picks for Chase Claypool and Montez Sweat, respectively. The Bears were 3-5 and 2-6 (and coming off blowout losses) at the time of those acquisitions, too.

I honestly didn't hate the moves when they were made, but wow, they look silly in hindsight. Sweat has shown flashes of dominance during his first two years in Chicago (especially early on), but has largely been inconsistent. They also probably would've had the option to land him in free agency if it came down to it. Claypool was a disaster. There's really nothing more to say about that.

Players acquired at trade deadline by Ryan Poles:

2022: Chase Claypool
2023: Montez Sweat
2024: None
2025: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
— jack (@jack_bfr) November 4, 2025

I know some weren't thrilled with the Bears' front office for not making a bigger move. It did make much more sense to do it now than it did in either of the two instances above, after all. Still, I don't fault them for looking at the bigger picture that they've been ignoring for the past few years.

Poles praised Ben Johnson when asked about their mindset going into this year's deadline. "His ability to see short-term and long-term for us to be able to have those conversations is, as a front office person, it’s really awesome to have," Poles said.

They have too much money tied up in the defensive line to justify giving up a day two pick for someone that probably won't be in the teams future plans. Maybe Dayo Odeyingbo wasn't a great free agent signing. Teams rarely bat a thousand in that regard. That's why the consistently best teams usually only have one big-to-semi-big free agent signing per offseason (at most). The best teams build through the draft.

With the previous factoid in mind, Odeyingbo is going to have a role on this team next year. He has a dead cap hit of $22 million. The Bears can re-evaluate after the '26 season if he doesn't work out. Trading a second-round pick for Jermaine Johnson II, who will make $13 million for his fifth-year option next year, wasn't in the best interest of the team. Neither was giving up a haul for Trey Hendrickson, who they'd have to resign, somehow.

Just because they are locked into a big contract for Odeyingo for (at least) one more season doesn't mean they can't draft a pass rusher that provides major contributions next year. Do you know what hinders their ability to do that? Trading those assets away for a player they'll have to pay.

The same notion can be applied to the cornerback position. I was hoping for an addition via the late-round pick swap variety there, but I'm not mad that they didn't feel comfortable pulling the trigger. Their corner room has a ton of depth when healthy. We might see Kyler Gordon back in the lineup as soon as Week 12 against Pittsburgh. Jaylon Johnson could be back a few weeks later if we're still in contention.

I understand the desire to win games now. This team looks talented enough to make some noise in the playoffs. However, it's a breath of fresh air that the team is finally looking towards the future instead of prioritizing instant gratification.

They're finally doing it the right way. The Ben Johnson effect.

More Chicago Bears News

Why long Bears injury report is far less severe than it appears

Bears GM explains his decision not to go hog wild with a big trade

Darnell Wright and Bears' rising offensive line facing real challenge

How Ben Johnson's Bears offense compares to his Lions offense for first-year success