Take one look at the Chicago Bears today and there can be no doubt that the team is much better off than they were at the end of last season. General manager Ryan Poles, once thought to be on the hot seat after Matt Eberflus was relieved of his duties, is the primary reason why, as he's put together one of the most spectacular offseasons Bears fans have ever seen.
I know, I know, other fanbases will point to that statement and scornfully tell the Bears to hang another offseason banner. I get it, because all that matters is what happens on the field. After a while, though, all of these front office moves have to equate to actual results, and I'd be shocked if that didn't begin to manifest itself this coming season.
Ben Johnson is in charge now, and he's looking to show why he was the most coveted coach on the market. Caleb Williams is ready to level up in Year 2 with an offensive line that's light years better than last year's. He also has a few exciting young pass-catchers to throw to after the Bears drafted tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III with their first two picks.
The defense has also gotten a shot in the arm with the additions of Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett in free agency, plus the recently signed extension that will keep Kyler Gordon in Chicago through 2028-29. There's still work to be done to catch up to the offense, though. Luckily, there's still time to make that happen.
Most fans are counting down the days until OTAs and the preseason, but there's still room for discerning general managers to improve their rosters. Some quality free agents are still available, but we're talking about Ryan Poles here. This man likes his trades.
Last year, Poles sent a sixth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for defensive end Darrell Taylor shortly before the regular season began. Taylor made a few impact plays, but he had a relatively quiet season on his way to three sacks and 32 tackles. Now he's gone after signing with the Houston Texans in March.
The Bears still have Montez Sweat (also acquired via trade), and they're hoping that Odeyingbo is ready to level up in his fifth season. There's no disputing that the pass rush still needs help to get into the upper echelon of the league, though.
Many experts figured the Bears would draft an edge rusher with at least one of their first few picks, but they opted to give Ben Johnson some weapons to work with instead. They did take Shemar Turner out of Texas A&M late in the second round, though while he showed versatility in being able to move around the line in college, he profiles more as an interior lineman than an edge rusher.
There's one obvious trade candidate to help the Bears on the defensive line
Rumors have been floating for much of the offseason that Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson could be shipped out of town. Last year's NFL sack leader is looking for a new deal, and the famously stingy Bengals haven't seemed eager to give him one, opting instead to lavish most of their cap space on offense in order to keep Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and even Mike Gesicki together.
Things have gotten ugly between Hendrickson and the Bengals front office in recent months, especially after Bengals owner Katie Blackburn said in her "state of the franchise" talk at the NFL's annual meetings in early April, "I think he should be happy at certain rates that maybe he doesn't think he'd be happy at."
Hendrickson had been given permission to seek a trade earlier in the offseason, but was still trying to work out a long-term deal with the Bengals. Blackburn's comments didn't seem to help the situation, and he responded to them on The Pat McAfee Show by saying, “That was a little disappointing because communication has been poor over the last couple months.”
Public negotiatons between a player and team ownership is nothing new, and doesn't necessarily mean that Hendrickson will be traded. Fuel was added to the fire at the draft though when Cincinnati used their first-round pick on Shemar Stewart, one of the top defensive ends in this year's draft class.
You can never have enough pass-rushing, but this sure feels like a move not to complement Hendrickson's abilities, but to replace them.
There's no doubt that Poles is watching this situation unfold with interest. He's shown before, in trading for Taylor in August and Sweat in the middle of the 2023-24 season, that he's not afraid to pull the trigger at any time to help his defensive line. Being able to do it well before training camp opens would be even better.
Hendrickson is a stud that would be the best Bears pass-rusher since Khalil Mack. It won't be cheap to get him, which is likely why he wasn't dealt when he first was given permission to seek a trade, but as long as the price isn't too exorbitant, Poles should figure out a way to get it done. The Bears may have missed the postseason last year, but they have a playoff-quality roster now. Don't waste a year making sure that you're ready to contend. Go out and make it happen, especially when a move makes so much sense for both teams.