The Bears’ defense spent the first month of the season looking like a mirage, but Week 5 against the Packers brought the reality check. Add in the injuries piling up on that side of the ball, and Ryan Poles suddenly has a trade market to scan before the deadline.
If Chicago is serious about patching holes now, there are a few names worth circling. Some help the pass rush.
Some stiffen the run defense. A couple could do both, at least a little.
And one of them is a reunion Bears fans have been waiting for.
Khalil Mack sits at the top of the board for a reason. The Chargers edge rusher is on a one-year deal, still producing at a high level, and has 3.0 sacks in five games, putting him on pace to top last season’s 5.5. The fit is obvious enough that it barely needs explaining, especially with Chicago searching for reinforcements after losing Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo in the interim.
Josh Sweat comes next. He has been in trade buzz for some time, and the Cardinals’ situation only adds fuel to that fire.
After a career year with 12.0 sacks in 2025, he has only one through five games this season, but the larger point is simple: Chicago’s pass rush has to improve. Sweat has two years left after this season, and the Bears could get out of his current 4-year, $76 million contract while saving about $6.5 million next year.
Zyon McCollum is the cornerback name on the list, and that matters because the Bears’ room has become a problem. Jaylon Johnson is healthy, but he has not played like himself, while Tyrique Stevenson has dealt with injury and inconsistent performance.
McCollum is under contract through 2028 and has already matched his 2025 total with six pass breakups in five games this season. He has allowed a 99.1 passer rating and one touchdown in coverage through five weeks, which at least gives Chicago the profile of a serviceable starter.
Tuli Tuipulotu is the youngest of the edge options here and the most expensive to acquire. The Chargers pass rusher is only 24, and his sack total has climbed every year since he entered the league as a second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2023.
He finished with 13.0 in 2025 and already has 2.0 sacks and 17 pressures in 2026. Chicago would likely need to part with at least a third-round pick, then pay him with an extension to make the move stick.
A'Shawn Robinson is the pure run-stopper in this group. The Buccaneers defensive tackle is on a one-year deal, has been excellent against the run, and would give the Bears help in an area where they have struggled badly.
Through five weeks, Chicago is allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game at 134.5. Robinson is 31, and his price tag could be modest - likely no more than a sixth-round pick.
Will McDonald gives the Bears another edge option without the long-term commitment that comes with some of the other names. The Jets are not close to contending, and they also drafted David Bailey, a rookie who is already playing well, so a move could make sense. McDonald has 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons and two more this year, and while he is not much of a run defender, his pass-rush upside would help Chicago more than the bodies it is expected to line up without.
Zach Sieler rounds out the list. The Dolphins defensive tackle had back-to-back 10-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024, but he has not reached that level lately, even if Miami’s struggles may be part of the story.
He still has 2.0 sacks and 11 pressures this season, though his value is almost entirely as a pass rusher. The contract is the real hurdle: it runs through 2029, with cap hits of nearly $21 million in 2027 and more than $23 million in 2028.
Chicago could save roughly $6.5 million by cutting him in 2028.
In Other News...
Bears Head To Atlanta With A Defensive Test They Can't Afford To Fail
The Bears head to Atlanta in Week 6 with a defense that has a real assignment on its hands, and the timing is less than ideal. Chicago is trying to steady itself on the road while keeping an eye on Caleb Williams, who returned to full practice participation, even though his game status remains up in the air.
The bigger immediate concern is on the other side of the ball, where the Bears will have to sort out life without Montez Sweat. His suspension leaves Chicago thinner up front against Bijan Robinson, and it also puts more pressure on the secondary to keep Drake London in check, with Jaylon Johnson and Dillon Thieneman expected to be central to the plan. [Read more 🡒]
Cole Kmet Trade Talk Is Back As Bears Face Bigger Roster Question
The Bears came into the season hoping their tight end room would give them a reliable layer of support for a young offense, but through the early going, Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet have not delivered much production. Kmet, in particular, has seen his role tilt more toward the dirty work that coaches value, leaning on his blocking and veteran steadiness even as his offensive involvement has faded since Week 1.
That has nudged his name back into trade chatter, especially with Chicago still sorting out broader roster needs. There have been no confirmed talks or offers, but the logic is easy to follow: if the Bears decide they need help elsewhere, moving a player with Kmets experience would at least be a way to reallocate resources while also creating more room for the team to address a bigger question down the line. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Face An Uncomfortable Gervon Dexter Reckoning In Atlanta
Gervon Dexter Sr. is giving the Bears an uneasy reminder of what they moved on from. After Chicago sent the defensive tackle to Atlanta in the offseason, Dexter has settled in quickly with the Falcons and become one of the more productive interior rushers in the league, enough to make the swap look more complicated in hindsight than it did at the time.
Ben Johnson has framed the deal as a win-win, pointing to both financial flexibility and a better defensive fit for Dexter, who looks comfortable in Atlantas system. The Falcons have already doubled down on that belief with a new long-term extension, which only sharpens the question of how Chicago should feel about a player it clearly believed could thrive elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]