Chicago Bears: Would trade for Kyle Allen, Cam Newton make sense?

The Chicago Bears’ issues at quarterback are nothing new but could they call up the Carolina Panthers about a trade for Kyle Allen or Cam Newton?

Quarterback issues have plagued the Chicago Bears to start the 2019 season. Mitchell Trubisky drew the ire of the public and fans alike with his play early in the season. And when he was forced off the field due to injury, Chase Daniel filled in and proved to not be anything close to an upgrade. Thus, with Trubisky likely being healthy after the Bears’ bye week, the third-year signal-caller will return to the helm of the offense.

However, the belief about this Bears team is that the offense — and largely the quarterback play — is holding them back. Khalil Mack and the defense are elite and, though the offensive line has performed poorly this season, weapons like Allen Robinson, Trey Burton and Tarik Cohen are in place. They just need a spark at quarterback.

Put simply, it doesn’t seem like Trubisky can give the offense that spark. He’s had his moments but, when it comes to consistent production and mistake-free play, the third-year quarterback has not been able to deliver.

Meanwhile, in the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers are dealing with the opposite problem as they enter their bye in Week 7. Cam Newton entered the season as the unquestioned starter. However, as he dealt with piling-up injuries, he and the team struggled out of the gate.

That led to Newton being sidelined with a foot injury, forcing Kyle Allen into action. What’s transpired in that time, though, is that Allen has more than acquitted himself as a viable starting quarterback in the NFL. Through four games played, Allen has completed 65.6 percent of his throws for 901 yards seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

With Newton set to return in the coming weeks, the Panthers are now faced with a dilemma: Do they go back to Newton or ride the hot hand in Allen? As both are on the roster, that’s a tough call. However, the Bears could make their decision for them by trying to answer their own quarterback issues through the trade market.

If Bears general manager Ryan Pace and the rest of the brass in Chicago are convinced that Trubisky is not the right guy to lead this offense — something that’s not a given — they need to maximize what they have on defense right now. And with an aggressive GM, calling up the Panthers and inquiring about Allen or Newton on the trade market should be on the table as something that could help them reach their ceiling.

Yes, there is risk with the mere notion of trading for Allen or Newton if you’re the Bears. Newton’s recent injury history has been highly concerning while the sample size with Allen is far too small. Having said that, if either player could be had a reasonable price, it might be worth it for Chicago.

Put simply, the Bears showed last season and through the start of this year that the defense is a championship-caliber unit. For good measure, the offensive weapons in the Windy City have shown that they are capable of producing when things are clicking. Thus, if there’s a trade option for the Bears to consistently make things click at quarterback, Pace and the Chicago front office would be wise to explore that option.