Tag: bears trade

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson sounds off on Roquan Smith, Robert Quinn trades

The Bears have traded two defensive leaders in Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. Jaylon Johnson sounded off on the impact of their losses.

The Chicago Bears have lost two defensive stars — and captains — over the last week. Chicago traded Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday and traded Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday.

GM Ryan Poles acquired three additional draft selections for 2023 — in the second, fourth and fifth rounds — to help him rebuild this roster. They were the kind of moves that weren’t unexpected with a rebuilding team.

With the Bears defense coming off its worst performance of the season after losing Quinn — a 49-29 drumming — it’s hard to imagine things get any better after Smith’s departure.

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson joined the Parkins & Spiegel Show on Monday, where he sounded off on Smith’s trade just hours after it happened.

“It’s hard to put into words what my reaction was,” Johnson said. “When big things like that happen, I really don’t have a reaction. It’s more so a series of thoughts…I felt his value throughout this organization, not only on the field…He’s not anybody that can be replaced. We lost a big thing today…There’s more to it. There’s some decisions that need to be made, and they’re not easy decisions.”

While the Bears defense suffered a huge blow with the losses of Smith and Quinn, there’s a personal component to these transactions. For Johnson, he lost two teammates and friends over the course of six days.

“It’s just a feeling that you have,” Johnson said. “We have all those people that just feel like they have a big role in your life. Not anything they do deliberately, it’s just them themselves. Rob, not too many understood Rob…The man signed a huge contract and came in [his true authentic self]…Rob was just the OG…Just who he was authentically, there was never a day where he was faking it. He’s been through things where he knows life can be taken at any moment…With Roquan, I could say the same thing. He has an outgoing personality. There was never a day where Ro came in and didn’t have a smile on his face.”

While the losses of Smith and Quinn are rough, Johnson is motivated to step into a leadership role.

“To see a lot of people who I came in with exit the building, it’s going to push me to do better and be one of those guys I looked up to,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity that is presenting itself.”

“We have to figure out a way to keep going,” Johnson said. “…Miami don’t care about Roquan…Robert Quinn, they’re going to try to come in and go crazy. We’re going to have to put our foot down and fight back.”

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Report: Bears might not be done with trade activity ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

The Bears traded Roquan Smith to the Ravens. But it doesn’t sound like GM Ryan Poles is done just yet before Tuesday’s deadline.

The Chicago Bears made a blockbuster trade sending star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for 2023 second- and fifth-round draft picks.

But it doesn’t sound like general manager Ryan Poles is done just yet.

According to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, “there’s a bit of chatter inside league circles that the Bears may not be done with their trade activity.” The deadline is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. CT.

Poles has shown that he’s not committed to anyone he didn’t bring in — not named Justin Fields — and he’s building for the future. He’s acquired three additional draft picks for 2023 with the Smith and Robert Quinn trades over the last week.

So that begs the question: Who could be next?

Running back David Montgomery is the first name that comes to mind. After all, you have to remember teams that are trading for assets ahead of the deadline tend to be contending teams. Montgomery has been a viable asset on this Bears offense since he was drafted in 2019.

There are a number of contenders who could certainly benefit from an all-around running back like Montgomery. And with Khalil Herbert making the case to be a lead back, it’s a move that wouldn’t leave Chicago vulnerable at the position. Especially with Justin Fields’ contributions in the run game. Although there’s reason to worry about pass protection.

Right guard Teven Jenkins is also another interesting name to watch. He’s someone who teams were inquiring about earlier this summer. Jenkins has arguably been the Bears’ best offensive lineman this season (since Cody Whitehair’s injury). He’s found new life at right guard, and Poles might use his success to garner another draft selection.

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PFF has a hypothetical trade proposal for Bears ahead of deadline

PFF had a hypothetical trade proposal for the Bears, which involves acquiring additional draft capital in exchange for DE Robert Quinn.

The Chicago Bears are in the beginning of a rebuild under new general manager Ryan Poles. This offseason, Poles overhauled the roster, which included getting expensive veterans off the books and signing a lot of cheap, one-year deals.

Unfortunately, that’s equated to arguably the worst roster in the NFL. But things are looking up for the Bears, who look to have more than $100 million in salary cap space in 2023.

With the NFL’s trade deadline less than one week away, Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger has a hypothetical trade proposal for the Bears, which involves acquiring additional draft capital in exchange for one key veteran, ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.

PFF proposes the Bears trade defensive end Robert Quinn to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2023 fourth-round and 2023 seventh-round pick. Given Poles’ connection with Kansas City and defensive end Frank Clark being suspended for two games, it’s a move that would make a lot of sense.

Quinn set a Chicago Bears franchise record in 2021 — a franchise known for its ferocious defenses over the years — with 18.5 sacks on the season. So far in 2022, however, Quinn has just one sack and a sub-10% pressure rate.

Kansas City will need Chicago to convert the majority of Quinn’s remaining 2022 salary into a bonus, which will lead to a boost in the return compensation as a result. The obvious connection here is Bears general manager Ryan Poles helping his former organization in the Chiefs mount another Super Bowl run.

While Quinn has a different build as a more slender rusher off the edge, he makes sense as a pass-rush specialist a team can let pin his ears back when an opponent is in an obvious passing situation.

Certainly the compensation isn’t what we might’ve expected before the start of the season with Quinn coming off that impressive 2021 season. But Quinn isn’t the future of this team, and Poles could certainly look to get him off the books and bank some additional draft capital.

There has been a report that the Bears have been shopping Quinn before the trade deadline. We’ll see if anything becomes of it.

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Latest hypothetical trade proposal has Bears landing veteran receiver

Bleacher Report proposed a hypothetical trade where the Bears land a new weapon for Justin Fields.

The Chicago Bears aren’t a team that many consider to be buyers ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 1. After all, this team isn’t in the business of winning this season.

But this season is about development, including hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields. Fields doesn’t have a solid supporting cast with a struggling offensive line and underwhelming receiving corp.

So if there’s an opportunity for GM Ryan Poles to improve the offense — looking to the future — you’d expect him to at least explore the possibility.

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a hypothetical trade where the Bears land a veteran wideout in the Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne, who’s hit a bit of a slump coming off an impressive 2021 season.

Adding a veteran receiver who can be a reliable target in the intermediate areas of the field would go a long way in figuring out what Fields can do with a supporting cast.

Kendrick Bourne fits that description, and based on his usage this season, he could be available. Even in a 38-15 blowout win in Week 6, Bourne saw just one target for 17 yards.

On the season, Bourne has seen just 14 targets. For a player who had 55 catches for 800 yards last season, he’s become expendable. While he’s fallen out of favor in New England, he could be Fields’ favorite target outside of Darnell Mooney in Chicago.

There have been a number of teams who have already called New England about a possible trade for Bourne, according to ESPN. It sounds like the Patriots intend to keep him, but “teams have a few weeks to change their minds,” per Jeremy Fowler.

The only team mentioned as a possible trade partner was the Las Vegas Raiders, so there’s no telling if the Bears were among the inquiring teams.

If this were to pass, it wouldn’t be the first trade between the Bears and Patriots this year. Chicago recently traded a 2024 seventh-round pick for former Pats wideout N’Keal Harry this offseason.

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Grading the Bears trade for WR N’Keal Harry

Ryan Poles added to the Bears wide receiver competition by acquiring N’Keal Harry from the Patriots. Here’s our grade of the trade.

The Chicago Bears’ receiving corps looks a bit different than it did 24 hours ago after the team reportedly agreed to acquire New England Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry for a 2024 seventh-round draft pick.

Harry underperformed in his three seasons as a Patriot, dealing with injury issues and failing to produce consistently when he’s been on the field. The writing was on the wall and his time in New England was already coming to a close with his role being reduced late last season and the team trading for DeVante Parker earlier in the spring.

Now, he has a chance to revive his career as a member of the Bears in a wide receiver room that has plenty of unknowns outside of Darnell Mooney. Here is our initial grade of the trade.

Bears are trading for Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant

The Bears are sending a 2023 6th round pick to the Dolphins for WR Jakeem Grant.

The Chicago Bears are acquiring wide receiver Jakeem Grant from the Miami Dolphins, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. In return, the Bears are sending Miami a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.

Grant was a sixth-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 2016 out of Texas Tech University. Early in his career, he was primarily used as a kick returner while also seeing some time on offense as a reserve wide receiver.

Grant has 2 kickoff return touchdowns in his career and his best season as a receiver came in 2020 when he caught 29 passes for 330 yards and 1 touchdown. He has spent his entire six-year career with Dolphins prior to the trade.

The Bears are adding Grant to a receiving corps that includes Allen Robinson, Darnell Mooney, Marquise Goodwin, Damiere Byrd, Nsimba Webster and Breshad Perriman.

It’s unclear what role Grant will have with the team at this time, but it will likely be in a specialist role. Especially with David Montgomery sidelined for 4-5 weeks with a knee sprain, which means Khalil Herbert could see extended time at running back.

Bears will get conditional 2021 7th-round pick for TE Adam Shaheen

The Bears have traded TE Adam Shaheen to the Dolphins for a conditional 2021 7th-round pick, which could become a sixth-round selection.

The Chicago Bears have officially announced they are trading tight end Adam Shaheen to the Miami Dolphins for a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick, which could become a sixth-round selection.

The former second-round pick has battled injuries throughout his three-year career, and he hasn’t lived up to his second-round billing. In three seasons with Chicago, Shaheen has tallied 26 receptions for 249 yards and four touchdowns in 27 games.

The move doesn’t come as much of a surprise as many didn’t expect Shaheen to survive training camp cuts. After a disappointing collective effort by tight ends in 2019, the Bears have completed their overhaul of the tight end room in releasing their top three tight ends from a season ago — Trey Burton, Shaheen and Ben Braunecker.

This offseason, general manager Ryan Pace added second-round rookie Cole Kmet and veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris to hopefully breathe some life into this offense.

In Shaheen’s final season in Chicago, he tallied nine receptions for 74 yards in the first eight games before landing on injured reserve with a foot injury, a fitting end for a player that couldn’t stay healthy enough to stay on the field.

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WATCH: Highlights of new Bears WR Darnell Mooney

Chicago found their speedy receiver in Tulane’s Darnell Mooney. Take a look at what the Bears are getting in Mooney.

The one thing that was missing from the Chicago Bears’ offense last season was speed. And general manager Ryan Pace believes that he’s found the guy that’s going to give them just that.

The Bears got a potential steal in Tulane receiver Darnell Mooney in the fifth round with the 173rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They traded up to snag him in the fifth round, believing that he could be a big contributor to this offense.

Mooney led the Tulane with 48 catches for 713 yards and five touchdowns last season, which is the kind of production that the Bears would certainly love.

Chicago found their speedy receiver in Mooney, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine, which he insists could be even better. He’s an explosive player that wracks up yards after the catch.

Take a look at what the Bears are getting in Mooney:

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2020 NFL Draft: Bears select WR Darnell Mooney with 173rd overall pick

The Bears traded up to land a speedy receiver in Tulane’s Darnell Mooney in the fifth round.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace is no stranger to trading in the NFL Draft. After trading a 2021 fourth round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to draft pass rusher Trevis Gipson, Pace traded up to grab a speedy receiver for whichever quarterback lines up under center this season.

The Bears selected Tulane wide receiver Darnell Mooney with the 173rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It was Chicago’s third fifth-round selection after starting the day with one fifth-rounder.

Chicago found their speedy receiver in Mooney, who ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. He’s an explosive player that wracks up yards after the catch. Mooney combined for 96 catches, 1,706 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns with Tulane.

The Bears traded picks 19, 200 and 233 to the Philadelphia Eagles for picks 173 and 227. Chicago has two selections left in this draft in the seventh round with picks 226 and 227.

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Bears expected to be active in trade market over next couple of months

Albert Breer indicates the Bears will be more active in the trade market rather than free agency in the coming months.

Free agency is just around the corner, and the Bears have several roster needs they’re expected to address this offseason. Quarterback and tight end are just a couple of positions Chicago could address when free agency opens on March 18.

In his latest MMQB column, Albert Breer indicated that the Bears will be more active in the trade market rather than free agency in the coming months.

Keep an eye on the Bears looking to augment their roster with a trade over the next couple months. Their cap situation will make it tough to be too active on the free agent market, but if there are players late in their rookie contracts made available, that’s one place where GM Ryan Pace could creatively improve what remains a win-now roster.

This falls in line with what The Athletic reported about the Bears looking to trade for a tight end this offseason. Someone that was mentioned was former first-round pick Hayden Hurst, who is entering the third season of his rookie contract.

Hurst would line up with what Breer mentioned regarding players late in their rookie contracts made available. But that’s reliant on whether or not Baltimore makes him available, which is certainly possible.

Considering the Bears are in the market for a quarterback to challenge starter Mitchell Trubisky, there’s another player that fits the bill of someone still on their rookie contract that figures to be on the trading block.

Josh Rosen was a highly-touted quarterback prospect coming out of UCLA when he was drafted with the 10th overall pick by the Cardinals and then traded to the Dolphins one season later.

Rosen figures to be on the way out of Miami with Ryan Fitzpatrick coming back and the Dolphins reportedly targeting a quarterback in the NFL Draft. Rosen could be an affordable option should the Bears be interested in a developmental prospect like him.

Given the Bears’ tight salary cap space — which currently rests around $26 million — it makes sense for Chicago to go the more cost-effective route with trading for some roster pieces.

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