The Chicago Bears came out of the trade deadline looking at the one spot they needed help most and finding it still empty.
For a defense that has leaned on an unsettled interior front, the reported move of DeForest Buckner from the Indianapolis Colts to the San Francisco 49ers felt like the kind of swing Ryan Poles was trying to make. Instead, the Bears were left without the impact presence they could have used in the middle of the line.
Chicago passed on keeping Gervon Dexter this offseason, then dealt him to the Atlanta Falcons to get something back before he reached free agency. That decision has left the interior defensive line with more questions than answers.
Grady Jarrett is the steady name at the top of the rotation in snaps, but he is not the same player he once was when he was a Pro Bowl-caliber force. At this stage, he looks better suited to a supporting role. Kentavius Street has settled in as the No. 2 option, but he is a journeyman, now on his fourth NFL team in seven seasons.
The depth chart gets thinner from there. Neville Gallimore has logged 124 snaps, but he has been the biggest disappointment in the group.
James Lynch has split time between roles, with 83 snaps as an edge rusher and 81 on the interior. Rookie Jordan van den Berg, meanwhile, has not made much progress.
Buckner would have changed that picture fast. He brings two-time All-Pro credentials, three Pro Bowl nods, and 75.5 career sacks. Even at 32, he has still produced four sacks this season, and he has done it on a losing team.
That part matters. Buckner had already sounded frustrated with the situation in Indianapolis, and landing with the Bears - a 5-2 team in the middle of a playoff push - looked like a clean fit.
The price was manageable too. Buckner was a rental, and the deal only required a fourth-round pick. The biggest reason Chicago may have come up short is if Buckner preferred San Francisco all along.
He was drafted by the 49ers, helped compete for a Super Bowl there, and later went to the Colts in a trade that brought Indianapolis a first-round pick. There was clearly more attached to this than a simple contending-team fit.
Indianapolis also had reason to take care of a player who became a fixture in the organization, both on the field and in the community. Maybe there was nothing the Bears could have done. But for a team needing help in the middle, watching another NFC contender land a major name at the position still stings.
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