Chicago Bears lack self awareness with latest trade deadline move

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles seems to lack some sort of awareness of the state of his team over the last couple of years. Poles, coming from Kansas City, understands that you have to be aggressive in spots to upgrade your team. He's made some massive trades as GM of the Bears, including trading away the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to bring in DJ Moore, and he also made a trade deadline deal last year to acquire wide receiver Chase Claypool.

The Bears have now also made a deal to acquire Washington Commanders pass rusher Montez Sweat, a former first-round pick who fills a pretty massive need for Chicago. Unfortunately for the Bears, one of the worst teams in the league this year, the cost to acquire him was a second-round pick. The Bears traded a second-rounder last year to acquire Chase Claypool and ended up sending the Pittsburgh Steelers the 32nd overall pick when that deal was all said and done.

You would think that Poles might have learned from his "mistake" last year at the trade deadline where he traded much-needed NFL Draft capital for a player who now isn't even on the roster. And while I'm sure that the plan for Montez Sweat in Chicago is an extension eventually, he's currently not under contract for 2024.

So, the Bears -- who currently are projected to pick 3rd overall in this year's draft -- have sent a second-round pick (35th overall if the season ended today) for a pass rusher who is not under contraact and will be 28 next season. Not that 28 is "old" by any means, but it's certainly a little different than a player like Montez Sweat being 25 when you want to presumably sign him to a 4-5 year deal.

I don't mind the aggressiveness from Bears GM Ryan Poles. I don't mind the initiative. What I can't understand is the lack of self-awareness from him about his team's current state. If you're motivated to acquire a player like Montez Sweat, you need to draw a firm line in the sand regarding compensation going back. Your first and second-round picks, considering how high they are projected to be, need to be off-limits.

Chicago added a fine pass rusher in Montez Sweat, but a player who has never had double-digit sacks in a season. In that regard, it makes sense that they "only" gave up a second-round pick, but that pick is just too high to be giving up, even with two first-round picks in the 2024 war chest.