With Caleb Williams in the fold, the Chicago Bears arguably have one of the NFL’s better rosters on paper. But if there’s a place where the Bears might still have a glaring hole, it’s that they don’t have a No. 2 edge pass rusher to pair up with franchise player Montez Sweat.
The Bears almost rectified this need with a trade for ex-New England Patriot Matthew Judon … before the Atlanta Falcons swooped in to finish the deal.
During the latest episode of Hard Knocks, Bears general manager Ryan Poles explained his apprehension behind making a move for Judon and why he ultimately passed on pulling the trigger for the difference-making veteran:
Good stuck on Hard Knocks tonight re: Matthew Judon pic.twitter.com/2KygM8rARu
— Ari M (@AriMeirov) August 21, 2024
Everything about Poles’ thought process is sound and reasonable for a GM trying to build a consistent Super Bowl contender in Chicago.
Even at the age of 32, the Bears knew that Judon probably still had plenty left in the tank and that he would’ve wreaked a lot of havoc in their defense. But they weren’t sure if he would agree to a long-term extension with the organization. They even had included a key provision in their trade proposal that the deal would revert Judon back to the Patriots if he didn’t sign on the dotted line with Chicago.
While a third-round draft pick for Judon sounds enticing at first glance, it’s ultimately a lot to give up for a potential rental for a Bears team that’s trying to win now but probably isn’t ready to compete for a championship just yet. Instead, riding with the developmental trajectory of promising rookie Austin Booker for four cost-controlled years makes much more sense. The Bears traded a future fourth-round draft selection to acquire the young defensive end from Kansas in April’s NFL Draft.
Poles did his due diligence to check on the possibility of a Judon addition. He did even better to remember the Bears have a long-term vision and that it’s better to let his current roster grow before he pushes all of his chips in.