A perfect 3-step offseason plan for the Bears
By Jakob Ashlin
Bears perfect offseason plan step 2: Trade down to #2
The Bears are in a unique position. They have the top pick in the draft, but with Justin Fields on the roster, they do not need to draft a quarterback. So, trading down makes sense.
The Houston Texans landed the second overall pick. Quarterback is their biggest need. They could trade up, in order to prevent another team from leapfrogging them for their top quarterback (likely Bryce Young). Here is a potential deal:
In 2017, the Bears gave up two third-round picks to move up from #3 to #2 to get Mitchell Trubisky. So, the Texans may be unwilling to give up a first-round pick.
In this scenario, the Bears pick up an early second-round pick and add a talented wide receiver in Brandin Cooks. Cooks has been mentioned in trade rumors for quite some time. According to KPRC, the Texans have recently engaged in “dialogue” regarding trading Cooks.
Multiple teams are interested in trading for #Texans WR Brandin Cooks according to @KPRC2
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 28, 2023
Houston and those teams have engaged "in respectful dialogue".
The teams are from both the NFC and AFC according to the report
No deal is imminent but there's "plenty of interest". pic.twitter.com/MUh2PsRIdo
Despite inconsistent quarterback play, Cooks has been phenomenal in Houston. In 2021, he had a career-high 90 receptions for 1,037 yards and six touchdowns.
Cooks, Darnell Mooney, and Chase Claypool would form a talented wide receiver trio and put Fields in a better position to succeed.