After the Simmons Blockbuster, the Bears Are Still Calling: A Pass Rusher and Secondary Help Top the Deadline List
Chicago is 6-2 after Monday night's win in Seattle, and the reporting out of the deadline's first week says Ryan Poles is not done — with a Khalil Mack reunion the loudest rumor and a leaky pass defense the clearest need. The deadline is Nov. 10.
The Chicago Bears have already made the biggest move of this trade season — the blockbuster acquisition of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from Tennessee, at a cost of two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder — and the reporting as deadline week opens says they are still working the phones. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, as reported by Bears Wire and Yardbarker, "the Bears want another pass rusher and secondary help," and Schultz does not think Chicago is done dealing.
The name attached to the pass-rush half of that search is a familiar one: Khalil Mack. A reunion with the Chargers edge rusher has drawn what Schultz called a lot of buzz for both Chicago and San Francisco, which traded for DeForest Buckner last week and is also hunting an edge rusher. The obstacle is on the other sideline: Los Angeles, 0-7 after its loss to the Rams, has remained firm that it is not looking to trade anyone, and reporting cited by Heavy says the Chargers have resisted engaging in talks about Mack. No deal is reported as made or agreed — this is the state of the rumor market, eight days before the Nov. 10 deadline.
The secondary half of the search has the harder numbers behind it. Chicago has given up 8.7 yards per pass attempt this season, the worst mark in the NFL, according to the Yardbarker file, and the injury list explains part of it: safety Coby Bryant has been out all year after knee surgery and is aiming for a December return, nickelback Kyler Gordon missed the first five games with a calf injury, cornerback Malik Muhammad has a toe injury, Tyrique Stevenson has been limited by a hip injury, and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo is on injured reserve with a quad injury.
What Chicago proved Monday night in Seattle — a 34-17 win that moved the Bears to 6-2 — is that this front office believes the window is open now. Whether a second deadline deal follows Simmons will say how far that belief goes; the Bears have until Nov. 10 to answer.
