Chicago Bears: Six More Players Team Should Trade

Oct 20, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Chicago Bears tackle Jermon Bushrod (74) lines up against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The concussion he suffered in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks may make this difficult, but Jermon Bushrod is an obvious player for the Bears to dangle in a trade.

The Bears signed Bushrod to a five-year free agent contract worth nearly $36 million in the 2013 off season to be their starting left tackle. While never considered among the elite, Bushrod has always been a solid offensive lineman who you could trust at left tackle. Unfortunately for Chicago, his play has clearly slipped the past couple of years.

Bushrod is still a powerful run blocker, but his days of consistently protecting the blind side of his quarterback are long gone. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has never seemed to have enough time to throw in recent years, and Bushrod’s struggles in pass protection are a major reason for that.

While he still has two years on his contract after this season, Bushrod is unlikely to be the Bears’ left tackle of the future. I personally believe that Kyle Long should be getting groomed for the position, but the Bears might as well see what they have in Charles Leno in the mean time. Leno could potentially become a part of the Bears plans on the offensive line, while Bushrod is close to becoming an after-thought.

With his run blocking skills, I could see a contending team taking a shot on Bushrod and him succeeding as a right tackle or even a guard. That being said, the Bears are never going to see much in return for Bushrod. The value would be in the Bears not paying the rest of his contract.

Potential Fits: Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.

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