Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles allegedly cast a pretty wide net in looking to make deals ahead of Wednesday's trade deadline.
MORE: Chicago Bears acquiring Joe Tryon-Shoyinka in trade with Cleveland Browns
The Bears are off to an exciting 5-3 start on the year, currently tied with the Detroit Lions (first-year Chicago head coach Ben Johnson's old team) and just a hair behind the NFC North's top-seeded 5-2-1 Green Bay Packers.
Bears head coach Caleb Williams has yet to graduate into the Pro Bowl form enjoyed by the two quarterbacks selected right after him in the 2024 NFL Draft, Washington Commanders signal caller Jayden Daniels (the No. 2 pick out of LSU) and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (No. 3 out of North Carolina). Still, he appears to be at least rounding into above-average competence, and his tantalizing arm and athleticism are enticing enough to warrant excitement.
Chicago at least tried to add major talent at the deadline... Before opting not to
On the year, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound USC product has accrued 1,916 yards and 12 touchdowns (against four interceptions) while notching a 55.4 quarterback rating.
Does he deserve more help around him, with Chicago's possible first playoff berth since 2020 potentially achievable down the season's home stretch?
Perhaps. But the Bears went a different way, making minimal moves at this week's trade deadline with an eye towards building in the future.
"Poles said he made calls across the league on nearly every player he could potentially imagine being available via trade," writes The Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs.
Poles himself went on to explain why Chicago wound up with just one new player, defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, and one new draft pick, a future seventh-rounder.
“You get different answers,” Poles said of his various conversations with rival front offices. “Sometimes they change if you start three weeks prior (to the deadline). As you get closer, things come up and (go) down based on how teams are doing and how they feel about the player. We turned (over) pretty much every stone to find those answers.”
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