The Chicago Bears knew they had three issues to address in the 2024 NFL Draft when general manager Ryan Poles split his scouting department into three camps: offensive tackle, defensive line, and wide receiver. The Bears selected Washington standout receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick.
The Bears spent the bulk of their offseason preparing to aid rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. That meant the Bears didn’t add resources to their already poor defensive line. Sans Montez Sweat, the Bears have one of the worst defensive lines on paper. Alex Ballentine with Bleacher Report has a remedy for the Bears.
The Chicago Bears urged to trade for Jonathan Allen
Ballentine suggests the Bears attempt another trade with the Commanders to land two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to fit head coach Matt Eberflus’ scheme:
At this point, Matt Eberflus’ comment that the 3-technique is the “engine” of his defense has been well-circulated. This logic was behind defensive tackles Byron Murphy II and Jer’Zhan Newton being popular mock draft selections for the Bears.
But the 2024 draft came and went, and the Bears still don’t have a dominant interior defender who can make Eberflus’ system go in Chicago.
Jonathan Allen seems to love the new direction of the defense in Washington under new head coach Dan Quinn. The question is whether the new front office feels the same love. They just handed Daron Payne a massive contract extension and drafted Jer’Zhan Newton in the draft.
The Washington Commanders might not feature Allen as much
The Bears lost several vital defensive linemen in Eberflus’ first offseason in Chicago. The Bears overhauled the previous regime’s base 3-4 scheme and haven’t replaced it in three offseasons. Ballentine thinks Allen might not be featured as heavily in the new Commanders scheme, and he could fix the Bears’ problem with their interior pass rush:
The 6’3″, 300-pound defensive tackle is used to playing a healthy snap share. He was at 82 percent in 2022 and 79 percent in 2023. But with the added depth and additions on the defensive line that also includes former second-round pick Phidarian Mathis and former Dallas Cowboys selection John Ridgeway III, it’s fair to wonder if his snap share will stay the same and whether he’s in the Commanders’ plans beyond 2024.
If he’s not, then Allen might be better off in a situation where he’s still a featured player. That would surely be the case in Chicago, where he would reunite with former Commanders teammate Montez Sweat and net a similar trade return to what the New York Giants got for Leonard Williams.
Ballantine’s trade proposal
Bears receive
- Allen
Commanders receive
- 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fifth-round pick
The Commanders could use the draft capital they receive from Allen’t trade to rebuild new head coach Dan Quinn’s vision for the team. The Bears would fix the largest remaining problem on their roster.
One problem for Chicago is their salary cap. Per Over the Cap, the Bears have $22.6 million left before the 2024 season. They need to sign some draft picks and keep some for emergency fund in-season. The Bears will likely cut some players and restructure a few contracts. But can they cover Allen’s salary if he asks for a raise post-trade?
If the Bears give up a second-round pick for Allen, they would expect to keep him for the long term. Allen’s contract is up after the 2025 season, and he probably wants to make much more than the $18 million average salary he’s currently on–probably before the 2025 offseason
