The Bears have already made one major splash, landing Jeffery Simmons in a move that could be enough to push them even further after his limited snaps in the win over the Seattle Seahawks. But if Chicago is still hunting for more defensive help, the dream of bringing Khalil Mack back to the Windy City may be running into a wall.
The obstacle, at least publicly, is the Los Angeles Chargers. Even with the Bears among several teams checking in on the veteran pass rusher, the Chargers are acting like they have no intention of moving him. After their team dropped to 0-7, Jim Harbaugh made the case that Mack isn’t going anywhere.
“I want Khalil Mack here. Khalil Mack wants to be here. He’s one of the pillars of our team,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said after his team fell to 0-7 (h/t Ari Meirov).
That claim is hard to square with the situation. Mack is in what could be his final season, and with an expiring deal on a team that’s sinking fast, it’s tough to see why Los Angeles would cling to him instead of cashing in. If he’s not going to be part of the long-term picture, the logic for holding onto him gets thinner by the day.
Still, Chicago doesn’t have to force the issue. Mack would be a luxury addition for Dennis Allen’s defense, not a must-have. The Bears can keep working the trade market and focus on landing at least one starting-caliber cornerback, which would fit the current needs of a defense that has already taken a real step forward with Simmons in the middle of it.
Even so, it’s easy to picture what Mack would have meant in Chicago again. He was often the bright spot on those Bears teams that struggled around him, and a reunion would have carried plenty of appeal if the goal is a legitimate Super Bowl push.
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