3 realistic trades Bears could make ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline

Do you ever get bored and start thinking too much? It doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, but when not much is happening and you're sitting on the couch, sometimes random thoughts start creeping in. Maybe I should try a new hairstyle. Maybe I should check out that new restaurant that just opened. Maybe I could average four yards a carry behind a good NFL offensive line.

Sometimes the thoughts are good, like when you decide to send a second-round pick to the Commanders for Montez Sweat. Sometimes ... not so much, like when you send a second-rounder to the Steelers for a guy who lied and said he was a wide receiver on his resume. When you're Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles, you have to take the good with the bad, but to be fair, he's had a lot more hits than misses.

Ryan Poles has time to think because his Chicago Bears are on a bye this week. This isn't a man who likes to sit still and put his phone on silent, so you just know that he's sending out offers like the most aggressive guy in your fantasy league.

Bears fans have come to trust Ryan Poles, and who can blame them? In just two years, he's taken a team that had the worst record in the league and remade it into what looks to be a bona fide contender. Ryan Poles knows what he's doing, but we all need a little help sometimes, and as we've already established, he has some time on his hands. Just in case he has a bad case of GM block and stumbles onto FanSided, here are three trades that he could make before the deadline to help the Bears in their quest to get back to the playoffs.

Bears deadline trade No. 1: Fifth-round pick to the Jaguars for Brandon Scherff

Chicago's offensive line was the main culprit in the team's 1-2 start. D'Andre Swift had no room to run and Caleb Williams was constantly under siege because quite frankly, every member of the offensive line was playing below his potential.

The entire offense has turned a corner in the last three weeks, and while Swift and Williams have gotten the most plaudits for breaking out, none of it would have been possible if the line hadn't gotten its collective act together.

That's not to say that the Bears are out of the woods when it comes to blocking up front. The offensive explosion we've seen in the past couple of games has coincided with playing the worst defenses in the league, and even after the bye, it's a pretty soft slate with Washington and Arizona on tap. Will the Bears be able to continue scoring points at such a prodigious clip when they go against the Vikings or the 49ers?

Brandon Scherff of the Jaguars is one of the best guards in the league. He's a five-time Pro-Bowler who would immediately help any offensive line, and with the Jaguars mired in a 1-5 hole, the team should be open to punting on this season and looking to the future.

Matt Pryor has been impressive since taking over for Nate Davis, and Bill Murray has also looked good in relief. You can never have enough depth though, and with Teven Jenkins' injury history, Poles should always be on the lookout for outside help. Scherff's arrival would boost Chicago's depth and put them in position to weather any injuries later in the year.

Scherff is in the last year of his deal, which means the price shouldn't be too high for his services. A fifth-rounder could get it done, and it would be a small price to pay for Poles to strengthen the Bears up front as they seek to contend this year. Poles could even follow the Montez Sweat blueprint and sign Scherff to an extension, ensuring that the line is in a good place not only this year but beyond.

Bears deadline trade No. 2: Khalil Herbert to the Cowboys for a fifth-round pick

Khalil Herbert is a quality running back. He's proven this time and again in his career, but this year he's clearly been the odd man out in the Chicago backfield.

D'Andre Swift has been one of the most effective backs in the league since his Week 4 gem against the Rams, and he's been complemented by Roschon Johnson. Swift has gotten the bulk of the touches, while Roschon has been useful as a short-yardage and goal-line back. Where does that leave Herbert? On the bench.

The Cowboys, after years of boasting one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, are a one-dimensional team this year. There's Dak Prescott, Ceedee Lamb, and not a whole lot else, which is why they're only 3-3 and have gotten thumped at home three times.

Ezekiel Elliott isn't the same guy he was during his first tour of duty in Dallas. Rico Dowdle has taken over as the feature back, but he has only one game with over 50 yards on the ground. His long run on the year is 13 yards. The Cowboys offensive line isn't what it once was, but it's not this bad, is it?

Herbert is a no-nonsense runner that will hit the hole and maximize the yards available to him. That's exactly what Dallas needs. The Cowboys have only two rushing touchdowns this year, and one of those came on a Dak Prescott sneak. Herbert can help give the Dallas offense some balance.

The Bears simply don't have a use for Herbert right now, so they should be looking to get something of value for him rather than have him languishing on the bench. If Poles could pull off both of the trades we've mentioned so far, it would be like effectively trading Herbert for Scherff, which is a win no matter how you cut it.

Bears deadline trade No. 3: Chicago's own second-round pick to the Bengals for Trey Hendrickson

Giving Ryan Poles a second-round pick is like handing him a lit stick of dynamite. You know he's not going to hold on to it, the only question is what he'll do with it.

Poles has been famously trigger-happy with his second-rounders in the past, and that was to help teams that didn't look half as good as this one does now. If he has a chance to upgrade midseason, he's going to do it.

Trey Hendrickson is one of the premier pass-rushers in the league, and he's had a tumultuous contract history in Cincinnati, even going as far as requesting a trade earlier in the year. The Bengals are a disappointing 2-4, and even with Hendrickson, their defense has struggled to stop anyone. If the price is right, they could be open to trading him.

The Bears have two second-round picks in next year's draft, and they would obviously prefer to deal their own rather than the one they'll get from Carolina as the last piece of their lopsided blockbuster trade from two years ago. Carolina's will be in the low-to-mid thirties, while Chicago's is trending toward being in the fifties. That's still a good haul for the Bengals, who'll be able to use the pick to help reboot a defense that has seen a serious talent drain in the last couple of years as the team has devoted most of its resources to the offensive side of the ball.

Hendrickson has five sacks on the year and would provide a huge boost to a Bears defense that is already one of the best in the league. Montez Sweat and Gervon Dexter Sr. have done their part in making the pass rush formidable, but with Hendrickson, it could reach a whole new level. Don't be surprised if Poles kicks the tires on this one.