With eight weeks officially in the books for the 2024 NFL season, the Chicago Bears find themselves in a weird spot.
On one hand, the team is 4-3, is slowly figuring out their identity, and have been cautiously optimistic about the early signs of Caleb Williams, who looks better with each passing week, even as Jayden Daniels continues to shine in Washington. But then again, they rank fourth in the division, have a very tough schedule left on the board, and may still finish in the NFL no man's land that has plagued them over the past few years, with no Panthers first-round pick to bail them out for a second year in a row.
Could the Bears look to upgrade their roster in the pursuit of a playoff spot intradivision or via the NFC Wild Card race? Sure, the team's roster is anything but perfectly calibrated, and it would be easier to name off the positions where they couldn't use an upgrade than the positions that are good. With that being said, the Bears might have already tipped their hands that they are looking to sell over the next week and change, as their inactive list ahead of Week 8 was very telling indeed.
1. Trade Nate Davis to the Rams for a conditional sixth-round pick
When Chicago Tribune writer Brad Biggs pointed out that the Bears were making Nate Davis a healthy scratch for the second-straight week after his benching earlier in the season, it immediately led to one major conclusion: Davis is on the trade block.
Now sure, the Bears are a better team than their record would suggest, and they've lost by a touchdown or less in each of their three Ls this season, but gosh, their defeat at the hands of a Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary was an absolute dagger to the heart. Unless they go on an absolute run, the Bears still sit in fourth place in the NFC North and only have one opponent with a losing record left on their schedule to close out the year.
Considering Davis already isn't playing, wouldn't it be better business to trade him away for a Day 3 pick over keeping him as an overpriced backup?
Enter a team like the Rams, who really need extra help on the offensive line.
Currently signed to a three-year deal worth the pro-rated portion of $11.35 million in 2024 plus $11.5 million next year – should a team opt to keep him around instead of releasing him for just $2 million in dead cap – Davis is a certified pro with experience in power and zone blocking schemes. He played well enough in Tenessee to justify a three-year, $30 million contract in 2023, and even if he still isn't being viewed that way by the Bears brass, he would still be a quality body who, at worst, could backup Logan Bruss and Kevin Dotson until Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, and Joseph Noteboom are back to full strength.
If the Bears are willing to eat some salary or the two sides can agree to a re-structured contract that turns Davis into a true rental with no commitments in 2025, the Rams could easily give up a conditional sixth-round pick that could become a five based on playing time to ensure they never again have to deal with a decimated offensive line in 2024.
2. Trade Khalil Herbert to the Cowboys for a sixth-round pick
Taking things back to Biggs' tweets and the analysis that went along with them, another long-time Bears contributor who was left in street clothes in Week 8 was Khalil Herbert, Chicago's long-time reserve rusher who has been used as a backup to David Montgomery, D'Onta Foreman, and D'Andre Swift.
“Bears inactives: CB Kyler Gordon, S Jaquan Brisker, RB Khalil Herbert, OG Nate Davis, DE Dominique Robinson, DT Zacch Pickens,” Biggs wrote. “This is the first healthy scratch of RB Khalil Herbert's career. RB Travis Homer is back in the gameday lineup. DE Jacob Martin will also make his Bears debut today.”
Though he's only started 12 of the 48 games he's appeared in for the Bears, Herbert has proven to be a quality contributor across multiple different Bears offenses, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt over his career while even flashing lead-back potential last season, even if that has completely dried up since Swift came to town.
If the Bears want to look at someone like Homer as their new RB2 then so be it, as he'd never actually earned a rushing attempt for Chicago since signing with the team but doing so at the expense of Herbert? Is that some savvy game management – it was not, Homer didn't get a carry in Week 8 – or a decision to keep the Virginia Tech product healthy heading into the trade deadine.
If it's the latter, the Cowboys still have one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL and likely won't turn into The Greatest Show on Turf if they start using Dalvin Cook more regularly off the practice squad. Factor in the illness that kept Rico Dowdle out of action in Week 8 – whatever that may be – and Ezekiel Elliott playing like a shell of his former glory, and if the Bears are looking to make a deal, Dallas would almost certainly pony up a mid-Day 3 pick for his services.
Bears Bonus: No, the Bears aren't going to trade for Myles Garrett
In the lead-up to Week 8, Jacob Robinson wrote an article discussing six potential trades for The Athletic, and point one earned a lot of traction online: the Browns should trade Myles Garrett to the Bears for multiple first-round picks.
Pretty incredible stuff, right? For a Bears fan, you bet, but when you actually read the suggestion, it feels rather thin.
“Let’s say the Bears acquire DE Myles Garrett, sending the Browns two first-round picks (2025 and 2026) and rookie DE Austin Booker,” Robinson wrote for The Athletic. “Chicago has long needed help on its defensive line, missing on DE Matthew Judon this offseason, though in hindsight, last year’s trade for DE Montez Sweat (second-round pick) was a savvy move by GM Ryan Poles. There’s no help better than Garrett, a one-man wrecking crew.”
Would pairing up Garrett, who is somehow only 28, and Williams produce results for the Browns both in 2024 and for years to come? Yes, pairing up an elite quarterback prospect with arguably the best defensive player in the NFL while he's still on his rookie-scale contract is a GM's dream and could unlock a world of possibilities from a team-building perspective.
With that being said, even if the Browns are cooked in 2024, which isn't necessarily the case, why would they trade away their best player even for multiple first-round picks? Garrett is still in his prime and will be for some time, allowing for an easier transition into the future no matter how 2025 shakes out. No, unless the Bears offer up something absolutely silly, this deal has an infinitesimal chance of actually happening, no matter how much Bears fans wish it so.
