Potential draft day trade could make Bears defense elite |
For the second year in a row, all eyes will be on the Chicago Bears as they own the No. 1 Overall pick in the 2024 draft. Unlike last season, when the Bears played their way into the top pick, this was an acquired pick they received as part of the DJ Moore trade with Carolina. Talk about a steal of a trade by Ryan Poles as Moore proved to be everything and more for the Bears while the Panthers are going nowhere as a team.
Having the No. 1 pick is all fun and games, but it comes with a ton of responsibility as the pick tends to change your franchise. The Bears will have to make a ton of tough decisions on what to do with that pick, with the biggest one surrounding Justin Fields and whether or not he is the starter next season. Judging by how the players and front office feel about him, Fields will be the guy making the No. 1 pick that much more of a mystery. The Bears could go with Marvin Harrison Jr at No.1 to give Fields another weapon, but taking a WR No. 1 overall is risky. That is why it is becoming much more likely that the Bears will trade away that pick, and one team is expected to make a run at it with a move that could potentially make this Bears defense scary. The Las Vegas Raiders are a team to watch for when trading for the No. 1 pick and could give the Bears a package they can't refuse. This wouldn't be the first time these teams met on a blockbuster deal as Khalil Mack came to Chicago in a similar situation, and you saw his instant impact. Considering the Raiders are stuck in neutral but having players like Josh Jacobs, Davonte Adams, and Michael Mayer, they need to maximize that talent while they still have it, which makes trading for the No. 1 pick realistic. The bottom line is the Raiders need a QB, and with Jimmy Garroppolo most likely done in Vegas and rookie Alex O'Connell showing promise, but most likely not the future, the Raiders may see the need to go after Caleb Williams and thus would be willing to put together a massive haul for the Bears. The return for Chicago is what stands out, as it would be similar to the Moore return with Carolina. Not only would the Bears receive assets in the form of draft picks, but they would get a potential game-changing player on defense, which is scary to think about. From a pick side, the Raiders would swap first-round picks with the Bears in 2024, taking the Bears' No. 1 spot and giving the Bears their current No. 10-11 range pick. That would give the Bears two picks in the top 14 to add to this roster. Going further, the Bears would also receive a second-rounder in this year's draft, a third-rounder next year, and the Raiders first-rounder in 2025. That adds another first-round pick for Poles to use as he continues to acquire assets to build up his roster. The critical piece to getting this deal done is the potential player the Raiders would be willing to part with, and the name Maxx Crosby has come up as the guy. This trade was first mentioned on the BRF Podcast. Which Bears trade would you prefer? Can you imagine what this defense would look like with Montez Sweat and Crosby coming off the edge next season? This type of move would instantly make the Bears a top-five defense and give them two pass rushers capable of grabbing 15 sacks per season. When you look at the former Eastern Michigan star, intimidation immediately comes to mind as his no-nonsense personality mixed with arms full of tattoos makes him an imposing figure. At just 26 years old, Crosby has a ton of football left, and some argue that he is just now coming into his prime as a player. If that is the case, it is scary to think about how good he can become, as he is already one of the most disruptive players in the NFL. After notching 10 sacks as a rookie in 2019, Crosby took a step back in 2020 and finished with only 7. Then came 2021, where he was selected to the Pro Bowl after picking up eight more sacks to give him 25 across his first three seasons. While those numbers are good, it has been the past two seasons that he has stepped and has doubled his career sack total during that time. Not only did Crosby pick up 12.5 sacks in 2022, but he elevated his game this season to tally a career-high 13.5 sacks so far to bring his career total to 51 through five seasons. He also has 88 tackles in 2023, one away from his career high in 2022, so look for him to pass that this week. Crosby is the type of player you want to build your defense around and looking at how much better the Bears defense is since they added Sweat it's hard to believe they won't be one of the better units in the NFL. These are the trades the Bears are going to ask for as they look to capitalize on someone's need for a QB.
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