The Chicago Bears need an elite pass rusher on their defense. They could be in a prime position to trade for one of the league’s scariest defensive linemen at the trade deadline in Aaron Donald.
The Bears’ defensive line was one of the worst in the NFL last season. General manager Ryan Poles hasn’t added enough help at the defensive end position. He drafted three defensive tackles, but the Bears’ pass rush is expected to be a major flaw on the team this season.
The Chicago Bears could trade for an elite pass rusher
However, if the Bears start off the season hot, they could be in a position to be buyers at the trade deadline. The Los Angeles Rams are expected to struggle this season, and they could pawn off one of their best players. Dan Graziano with ESPN wrote that the Rams might be willing to send Donald to a contender to rebuild their roster:
“But what if the Rams have another lousy season and decide the best bet is to trade away more veterans and rebuild? This is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. There are a lot of questions about the Rams after they followed their Super Bowl title season up with a 5-12 campaign.
If they are bad again and decide to sell at the trade deadline, could Donald go somewhere and be the missing piece to a contender’s Super Bowl run, the way Von Miller was for the Rams two years ago? If healthy, Donald could be the biggest trade deadline pickup in league history — if the Rams decide to see what they can get for him and if he’s willing to leave. Yes, a lot of ifs on this one, but keep an eye on it.”
We’ve seen this a couple of times in recent years. As mentioned above, Von Miller was traded to the Rams. The Miami Dolphins traded for Bradley Chubb last year.
Would the Bears trade for Aaron Donald?
It’s hard to imagine general manager Ryan Poles trading a significant draft piece, even if the team is trending toward making the playoffs this season. The price would have to be something around what they got for Robert Quinn last year. That will not likely be acceptable for the three-time defensive player of the year.
Donald is under contract through next season. But retirement rumors have hovered around the 32-year-old defensive tackle.
The Bears need help at the defensive end, and Poles will likely look for a long-term solution at that position after drafting three interior defensive linemen. However, Donald’s position shouldn’t get in the way of the Bears picking up the phone for a trade. A player with 103 sacks in nine seasons would be an improvement over any defensive player on the Bears roster, much less a defensive line dependent on rookies.
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