The Chicago Bears have used the assets they possessed this offseason to their advantage. They entered the offseason with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and the most cap space in the league. Both have been used to improve the outlook of the franchise.
Chicago got things started by sending the first pick to the Carolina Panthers. In exchange, they received four draft picks and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Moore fills their need for a No. 1 receiver in the passing game to help elevate the performance of quarterback Justin Fields.
In free agency, general manager Ryan Poles wasn’t afraid to spend lavishly. Linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, offensive guard Nate Davis and tight end Robert Tonyan all will fill needs on the team.
The Bears will be much improved in 2023, but there is still more work to do. If they wanted to get aggressive, they could look to upgrade the supporting cast around Fields even more. David Montgomery departed in free agency, signing with the Detroit Lions, which created a void in the backfield.
Chicago did sign D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer in free agency to replace Montgomery. Foreman had a career season with the Panthers, while Homer is a pass-catching specialist that contributes on special teams.
But, if the team wanted to make a real upgrade, a potential trade target could be Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans. Rumors are floating around that the Titans are considering a rebuild, which would include trading their all-world running back.
Henry would be an expensive addition, but the Bears aren’t short on cap space or draft picks to make a deal. Putting him in the same backfield as Fields would make an already dominant run game that much tougher to slow down.
Trading away draft picks normally isn’t something a rebuilding team should be doing, but the Bears are in an interesting spot. They should be doing everything they can to upgrade the weapons around Fields and Henry would provide that despite already adding Foreman and Homer.
What could it cost to land Henry from the Titans? Chicago has multiple picks in multiple rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft to choose from. One of the second- and fifth-round picks that they own in exchange for Henry and a sixth-round pick seems like a fair deal from both sides.
Poles has shown that he will be aggressive in making trades, as he purged the roster last year of veterans in multiple deals and traded the No. 1 pick this year. Acquiring Henry is the type of splash move that would turn the Bears’ offense into one of the best in the league.
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