Getty The Bears could put one of their starters on the trade block if they make a splashy signing -- such as Yannick Ngakoue -- at edge rusher.
The Chicago Bears have been highly expected to add a veteran edge rusher to their roster before training camp begins on July 26, and if they do, one analyst believes they could be tempted to put one of their starters on the trade block.
Bleacher Report’s Jack Rill floated Bears fourth-year defensive end Trevis Gipson as one of the team’s top three potential trade candidates, right behind 2022 third-round wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. and veteran interior lineman Cody Whitehair. While Jones is only a second-year player and Whitehair is being eyed as their starting center for the 2023 season, Gipson’s standing with the team is less concrete at this point.
“Chicago still needs to get better on the defensive line. Moving on from Gipson may not necessarily help it do that in the immediate future,” Rill wrote on July 3. “Again, though, the Bears must keep the big picture in mind. Because of that, a Gipson trade is at least something to consider, especially if there’s a team quite interested in him.”
Heading into camp, Gipson projects to be one of the Bears’ starting defensive ends with free agent addition DeMarcus Walker expected to be the other, but a splashy signing — such as Yannick Ngakoue and Justin Houston — could change the makeup of the group. And while Gipson has had success for Chicago in the past (seven sacks in 2021), he might also be the most sensible player to trade away if the room becomes crowded.
Trevis Gipson is Entering Contract Year With Bears
The Bears are currently sitting in an uncertain place with their edge-rushing group with about three weeks to go until camp. They added Walker on a three-year contract and Rasheem Green on a one-year deal during free agency and return both of their starters — Gipson and 2022 fifth-rounder Dominique Robinson — from the end of last season, but they are still lacking a pure pass rusher with proven success to boost the room.
That void is one of the biggest reasons why media members have consistently listed the Bears as a top fit for players like Ngakoue and Houston. And if one of them is added to the roster, it could leave Gipson standing on shaky ground.
The 25-year-old Gipson is heading into the final season of his rookie deal in 2023 and, according to one of Heavy Sports insider Matt Lombardo’s sources, is someone the Bears like “a lot” and are hoping can take a jump for them in the upcoming campaign. He has much to prove, though, after recording just one sack in the Bears’ final 15 games of the 2022 season and faring poorly as a run defender for their frontlines.
The hard truth is that, in terms of players the Bears would be most likely to move on from in the edge-rushing group, Gipson is the top candidate to be jettisoned in the event that they sign a veteran to the roster and do not want to carry five edge rushers on their 53-man roster. Now, that may change if either Robinson or Green disappoints in camp, but Gipson is a player from the previous regime (i.e. he has fewer connections to current general manager Ryan Poles, who drafted Robinson and signed Green).
With the Bears still at least a year away from contending, it could be wise for Poles to bypass potential contract negotiations with Gipson in the 2024 offseason and flip him for a draft pick — maybe as high as a fourth- or fifth-rounder — before the season, especially if he decides to sign Ngakoue to the multi-year contract that he desires.
Would Bears Be Better Served Testing Current DEs?
GettyThe Bears might prefer to bet on Trevis Gipson’s upside in 2023.
There is a scenario where, with the right pass-rusher addition, the Bears could consider adding Gipson to the trade block before the start of the 2023 season (or perhaps later in the season toward the mid-year trade deadline). Right now, though, the more obvious route — based on how Poles has constructed the roster — is sticking it out with the current personnel and circling back to address the position in the 2024 offseason.
The Bears’ current four-man defensive end unit does not inspire heaps of confidence, but at least three of them have identifiable potential to exceed expectations. Walker was a standout for the Tennessee Titans last year, recording a career-high seven sacks and 32 pressures over 17 games in 2022. Now that he has secured a more prominent role in Chicago, he has a good chance to meet or exceed that success for the Bears in 2023.
Meanwhile, Gipson is playing for a new contract and likely his future in Chicago. He did not thrive in the first year of Matt Eberflus’ defense, but he is not too far removed from his own breakout season in 2021 and might find more success in 2023 now that he has a full year under his belt in the new system. The same argument can also be made for Robinson, who has only played two full seasons at defensive end across his entire football career but has the physical tool to be successful if he can better learn the role.
The Bears also seriously bolstered the interior of their defensive line in hopes that it could lead to higher sack yields for their edge rushers. They signed veteran run-stuffer Andrew Billings to fulfill the one-technique role in their lineup and then drafted three more gifted defensive tackles — Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens and Travis Bell — to ensure they have the personnel to test their theory properly.
If putting the current group to the test delivers the Bears even one solid starter on the edges, it could be considered another win for Poles. He will also have two first-round picks in the 2024 draft — potentially a top-10 selection depending on how Carolina finishes in 2023 — that can be used to address the position in a more meaningful way ahead of next season, when the Bears are expected to be in a better spot to contend.