Chicago Bears: Does Leonard Floyd injury force team to make trade?

The Chicago Bears had a need at pass rusher opposite of Leonard Floyd. With no one stepping up and now him getting hurt, does general manager Ryan Pace hit the trade market?

The Chicago Bears had some good news and some bad news. They got a victory and the offense gave us at least a little idea of what it could do. On the other hand, they suffered an injury to a key player on defense.

Linebacker Leonard Floyd left the game against the Denver Broncos because of a hand injury. Turns out, he fractured the hand. He had surgery on his right middle and index finger. The team feels optimistic that he’ll still play Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers. He may have a cast or a club, though.

This is an injury the Bears really couldn’t afford. With the exit of Pernell McPhee, the Bears have a hole at the outside linebacker spot opposite of Floyd. They signed Aaron Lynch, but he’s spent the preseason in the trainer’s room dealing with injuries (again).

As I mentioned, the Bears feel confident Floyd can play through this injury. That has to be seen, however. Players have different reactions to playing while injured or playing with things like casts. Some adjust well while others not so much.

At the very least, without much help on the other side, teams can double Floyd or just run plays away from him. At the moment, the depth chart has Sam Acho as the starter on Floyd’s opposite side. No offense to Acho, but he’s a career backup. He’s better suited in that role. Lynch already looks like a bust and we haven’t even gotten out of the preseason yet. Thus, the idea of a trade has to be considered.

Do the Bears look to the trade market for help?

Pace did a great job to solidify many other positions but took a chance that Lynch could be at least a stop-gap for now. He looks like he isn’t. So what does he do now?

One option is to wait before the season starts and see who is available after the final cuts. Some good players could be cut for a number of reasons. Pace can look through the waiver wire and take a chance on picking one of them up and hoping that player helps out. He did that with offensive lineman Josh Sitton in 2016. The Packers cut him at the end of preseason because of money. The Bears swiftly picked him up and he gave Chicago two solid seasons, one of them being a Pro Bowl season. Could lightning strike again? Maybe, but perhaps a trade could be made.

Of course, when the subject of a trade comes up, the biggest name out there, Khalil Mack, is at the top of the list. I’ve tried to avoid all the Mack-to-the-Bears rumors that are out there. Some say if he gets traded, the two most likely teams are the Packers and the Bears. I say the key word is “if.” As bad as the relationship between Mack and the Oakland Raiders is, I don’t think they’ll trade him.

Albert Breer of SI’s MMQB  reported that the likelihood of a Mack trade is low:

"Is there a team out there willing to give up a first-round pick (and maybe another pick), plus more than $20 million per year, with $60 million or so fully guaranteed, to get Mack? Maybe there is. He’s an incredible player, but that’s a hefty price for anyone who doesn’t play quarterback. For now the discussion is moot, as I understand it. Inquiries about Mack’s availability from other NFL outposts have been quickly met with a no."

Bottom line

Do the Bears pull the trigger and make an offer the Raiders can’t refuse? Well, Pace has shown he won’t shy away from doing what he can to get someone he covets. He did it with quarterback Mitch Trubisky and he also moved up to pick up Floyd. Is Mack someone he covets, though?

At the end of the day, I think the Bears don’t trade for Mack. I think they still pull off a trade, just not a blockbuster. They’ll pick up someone who might be a bridge player. Then, maybe next offseason they draft a pass rusher or they go after a free agent, maybe even Mack if he becomes a free agent.

It’d be nice to have a player of Mack’s ability play with the Chicago Bears. However, the prohibitive cost to acquire him and the cost to keep him may be too much for the team to accept. The Bears probably make a move for a bridge player, then either go and draft a guy or go the free agent route and pick someone there, maybe even Mack if he becomes a free agent. Either way, I think the pass rusher the Bears need this season isn’t on the roster yet.