As the 2026 offseason continues to roll along, one thing to keep an eye on beyond June 1 will be more trades around the league.
The NFL world is already anticipating the trade of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown, but he might only be the tip of the iceberg. Teams are getting the opportunity at OTAs to see their new-look rosters in action, and maybe even make some determinations before training camp about which guys will still be around beyond the month of August.
This is the time of year where NFL teams begin to shop around some of the recent draft picks they don't view as part of their vision anymore. It's a chance for NFL teams to take chances on reclamation projects, and for recent high draft picks to maybe get a fresh start in a new city where they could thrive.
One player whose name has been thrown out as a possibility is Washington Commanders' 2024 2nd-round pick Jer'Zhan Newton, and he has an ideal destination if he's traded: The Chicago Bears.
Chicago Bears would be perfect landing spot for Jer'Zhan Newton if Commanders trade him
Pro Football Focus put out a post highlighting 15 potential NFL trade candidates approaching training camp, and Newton's name was somewhat surprisingly featured. Here was the explanation they gave as to why Newton was included in a list like this:
"The Commanders relentlessly fortified their ailing defense this offseason, including along the defensive line. However, that negatively affects someone like Newton.
The 36th overall pick in 2024 hasn’t blossomed as Washington would’ve hoped, notching a career 50.0 overall PFF grade with a 38.6 PFF run-defense grade. Yet what has been encouraging is Newton’s pass-rushing, as his 9.3% pass-rush win rate placed in the 63rd percentile last year.
The Commanders inked former Texans interior defender Tim Settle to a three-year, $25.5 million contract during free agency, which only pushes Newton down the depth chart. The 23-year-old former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year could garner attention for teams looking to bet on his upside."
- Pro Football Focus
To fortify the point here, the Commanders had Newton available for 17 games last season and 16 games in his rookie season. While his production ramped up as a second-year player (5 sacks, 9 QB hits), his snaps also decreased (515 in 2024, 432 in 2025).
That is a significant decrease in snaps, which is an eyebrow raiser for the fact that the Commanders absolutely needed playmakers on the defensive front last season. This was a defense that ranked dead last with 6,533 yards allowed over the course of the season.
While it seems outrageous for the Commanders to "give up" on a high draft pick like Newton already, it also isn't impossible to think it could happen. And if it does, the Chicago Bears need to do the right thing and bring him back home. Newton may be a Florida native, but he made a home in the state of Illinois where he became the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
The Bears' additions this offseason left something to be desired on the defensive front and in the pass rush department, and they would be the perfect team to take a chance on Newton if the Commanders are trying to get whatever value they can for him, and simply move on.
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