3 missed opportunities for the Chicago Bears at the NFL trade deadline

An eager nation tuned in on Tuesday with bated breath, anxious for the results that would shape their future happiness. That's right, it was NFL trade deadline day, and while some teams made clear moves that signaled whether they were all-in this year or playing for the future, others, like the Chicago Bears, chose to largely sit this one out.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has traditionally been one of the most active decision-makers on deadline day. It seemed that would be the case again this year, as he kickstarted the day by sending Khalil Herbert to the Bengals for a seventh-round pick. That first domino fell in silence though, and it's not unfair for Bears fans to wonder why.

Poles has never been a GM that makes moves for the sake of appearing busy. Maybe the players he was targeting weren't available for a reasonable price, or maybe he just couldn't thread the needle of improving the team now without sacrificing too much in the future.

The recent vibes around the team may have had a lot to due with Poles' inaction. The Bears have lost two straight to drop to 4-4, and both have been inexcusable, but for different reasons. The Commanders game was a failure of late-game coaching and player discipline, while the loss to the Cardinals was just a poor effort team-wide.

This left Poles in an unenviable quandary. Does he make a win-now move to try and turn the season around, even in the face of overwhelming recent evidence and a monstrous late-season schedule that clearly show that this campaign, like another one on Tuesday, is headed for a disappointing finish? Or does he risk alienating the fanbase by cutting bait with some players in exchange for future picks? What do you do when both choices seem bad? You stand pat and wait to see what happens.

The Matt Eberflus era is very much up in the air right now. Most Bears fans are calling for his job, and rightly so, due to his repeated late-game mismanagement and lack of accountability after losses. Poles is the one that hired Eberflus, and if he doesn't want to go down with the ship, the best move may be to take a step back and give Eberflus enough rope to hang himself. There are holes on this roster, but it's unquestionably better than it was before. If Eberflus can't produce a winning record with this much talent, Poles can try to sell the fans on someone else who can this offseason.

Sometimes it's good to sit things out if there's no clear way to improve, but Bears fans will still be disappointed that certain areas were addressed. Here are three things we would have liked to see on deadline day.

Missed opportunity No. 1: Strengthen the offensive line

Other than the Vikings acquiring Cam Robinson from the Jaguars, there wasn't much movement among offensive linemen at the deadline. That's a shame, because of all the position groups on the Bears, the O-line is the most glaring need.

Only two quarterbacks in the league have been sacked more than Caleb Williams. That's just not a recipe for rookie quarterback success. There are countless examples of first-round quarterbacks never reaching their potential because they spent too much time on their backs, and the Bears just haven't done enough to make Caleb's life easier.

Not only have the Bears been bad up front, they're also dealing with multiple injuries, including to both starting tackles. The devil you know is better than the devil you don't, so it's scary to think of what kind of protection Caleb will get from the guys filling in that were already deemed not good enough to start.

The fact that there wasn't much in the way of offensive line movement across the league likely means that teams weren't willing to let quality blockers go for cheap. What would it have taken to pry Brandon Scherff from the Jags or Wyatt Teller from the Browns, two teams that are each 2-7 and going nowhere this year?

Adding a quality lineman or two would give the Bears a better chance to win games this year, but more importantly, it would increase the chances of Caleb getting through this season in one piece. For that reason alone, Bears fans would have loved to see a move.

Missed opportunity No. 2: Send Nate Davis somewhere, anywhere but Chicago

This one may seem to go against our first missed opportunity, but here's why it doesn't. Yes, Nate Davis is an offensive lineman that should ostensibly be able to help the Bears in the trenches as they deal with injuries and ineffective play, but in reality, outside of Matt Eberflus, he's the poster child for Bears ineptitude right now.

Bears fans blame Ryan Poles for not addressing the offensive line, but that's not true. He has made moves, they just haven't been the right ones. Small consolation, I know. Davis was brought on last year on a three-year, $30 million contract, but he's never proven himself to be worth it.

Davis was ranked 58th out of 79 eligible guards by PFF last season with a 52.9 grade, and his 53.6 this year shows that he hasn't really improved. Worse still, he's been plagued by injuries and accusations that his work ethic is lacking after missing an extended period in training camp.

Davis has lost his starting job twice on this team, and I'm not sure how you can just come back as if everything's all good after that. Other teams besides the Bears are in need of offensive line help, and despite Davis' mediocre play, it shouldn't have been difficult to convince someone that all he needed was just a change in scenery. Trading Davis would have been addition by subtraction, and Poles could have gotten a late-round pick out of it, to boot.

Missed opportunity No. 3: Fortify a banged up secondary

The Bears' strength this season has undoubtedly been their defense. Going into last week, Chicago hadn't let up more than 21 points in a game, and even after getting run over by the Cardinals, the Bears D is still tied for fifth in the league with just 18.5 points per game allowed.

The strongest unit on that defense is the secondary. Jaylon Johnson is a true shutdown corner, while opposite him, Tyrique Stevenson (with one very obvious exception) has been very good as well. Kyler Gordon is one of the premier slot cornerbacks in the game. Jaquan Brisker was enjoying a career year before suffering his third concussion in as many years against the Panthers in Week 5, and Kevin Byard, the other starting safety, has been outstanding since coming over in free agency.

Why then should Poles have made a move to help the defensive backfield? Injuries, injuries, injuries. In addition to Brisker already having missed multiple weeks with his concussion, Gordon has now missed multiple games with a hamstring strain. Terell Smith, who got the starting nod against the Cardinals after Stevenson was benched for his immaturity at the end of the Commanders game, didn't even last a half before he was forced out with an ankle injury.

The Bears have more ability in their secondary than almost every team in the NFL, but as the old saying goes, the best ability is availability. Poles could have added a corner or a safety (getting one for Nate Davis would have killed two birds with one stone) to hold down the fort until everyone gets back to full health.