5 NFL trades that should be made before the deadline

CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 13: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) runs onto the field before the game against the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals on September 13th 2018, at Paul Brown in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, IL – OCTOBER 20: Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) looks on as he comes off the field in game action during a game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints on October 20, 2019 at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3. Andy Dalton and Mitchell Trubisky switch places

This is undoubtedly the wildest idea of the piece. However, if you really look at where both the Bengals and Bears are in the standings, the potential swap of their starting quarterbacks starts to make a lot of sense.

The Bears still harbor slight playoff hopes at 3-3, but they will struggle to catch the Packers or the Vikings in their own division. Chicago needs to shake their offense up in a big way if they want to go on a big run.

That’s not going to happen with Trubisky under center. Matt Nagy and the Bears’ offensive line protected him last season and made him look like a decent starting quarterback. This year he’s been an abject disaster. When there’s a valid argument to be made that you should be benched for Chase Daniel, you know there’s a problem.

Dalton hasn’t been great for a really bad Bengals team, but his track record suggests that he can play like an above-average starter in the right system. At the very least, he can provide Chicago with an immediate upgrade over Trubisky.

Cincinnati’s motivation for doing the deal would be to get off the money they owe Dalton for the remainder of this season while acquiring a cheap potential starting quarterback. They might require a little more in the deal to make it work, but it’s nothing the Bears will lose sleep parting with.

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