Bears find pivot plan for pass rusher after losing out on Matthew Judon trade

The Chicago Bears made some big moves throughout the offseason, such as acquiring Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers and using the ninth overall pick on Washington wideout Rome Odunze to give rookie Caleb Williams some big targets downfield alongside DJ Moore. But in recent days, the Bears were setting their focus on adding to their pass rush.

Recent reporting indicated that the Bears were looking to acquire linebacker Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots. On a recent episode of HBO's "Hard Knocks," it was revealed that the Bears were willing to give the Patriots a third-round pick for Judon, but only if he were to sign a contract extension. That never came to fruition, as Judon was dealt to the Falcons, and didn't sign a new deal with them.

Well, the Bears have found their pivot plan to add a pass rusher ahead of the regular season.

According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, the Bears acquired linebacker Darrell Taylor from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a 2025 sixth-round pick.

Bears acquire Darrell Taylor from Seahawks after losing out on Matthew Judon

Yes, Taylor isn't on the same level as Judon. But, Taylor does provide depth in the linebacker corps to help with their pass rush.

Taylor was selected by the Seahawks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Tennessee. In his four years with the team, Taylor was mostly a rotational piece in Seattle's defense. In 2022, Taylor picked up a career-high 9.5 sacks in a single season through 16 regular season games.

Overall, Taylor recorded 91 combined tackles (67 solo, 24 assisted), 34 quarterback hits, 22 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, and five forced fumbles.

The Seahawks have entered a new regime with head coach Mike Macdonald, who comes over from the Baltimore Ravens after serving as their defensive coordinator. On the team's depth chart, Taylor was listed as a third-string edge rusher. It will remain to be seen what role Taylor will have on the Bears.

The Bears have shown they are willing to add star power. Much like with Montez Sweat last year, the Bears wanted to immediately lock Judon into a new, long-term contract. But when those plans were scrapped, the Bears pivoted and landed a young pass rusher in Taylor, who has over 20 sacks in his career.