2022 Trade Proposal Would Land Bears Former 1st-Round Left Tackle

It’s been nearly a full season but little has changed — the Chicago Bears could still use a quality offensive lineman who needs a fresh start in a new city.

Bleacher Report floated a trade proposal in August 2021 that would send Philadelphia Eagles left tackle Andre Dillard to Chicago for backup quarterback Nick Foles. Since then, Foles has fallen to the third-string spot on the Bears QB depth chart behind starter Justin Fields and second-stringer Andy Dalton.

Foles and his hefty contract may no longer be the trade bait they might have been three weeks before the season, back when the Eagles were less certain about their own young starter, Jalen Hurts.

However, B/R’s Chris Roling remained adamant in his December 7 column that the Bears should continue their pursuit of Dillard, who could help shore up a shaky offensive line meant to protect the rookie Fields in the early years of his NFL career.

When taking a look at the numbers, it’s hard to argue the point.

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Chicago Will Need a Left Tackle Soon & for Awhile

The Bears’ situation at left tackle is precarious, at best. That is not to besmirch the performance of Jason Peters, who also came over from the Eagles to join the Bears’ front line this season.

He has been solid, grading out 25th among 83 players measured at his position with an overall rating of 75.8, per Pro Football Focus. But for a team that’s 4-10 and boasts just two winning seasons over the last decade, the Bears have to focus on the future. That future is Fields and building an offensive line that can protect him for the decade to come, and Peters is not going to be part of that equation.

At 39 years old, Peters is winding down a one-year deal with Chicago that expires when this regular season does. The storied offensive lineman has earned nearly $120 million across his 17 years in the league but commanded a salary of just $1.75 million with the Bears in 2021, per Spotrac.

Peters’ career is nearing its end, while the rest of the tackles on the Bears’ current roster all grade out lower as pass blockers than does the offensive line’s elder statesman. Chicago needs a youthful upgrade, and Dillard is a good option to give it to them.

In the Bears’ most recent loss on Monday, December 20 to their division rival the Minnesota Vikings, Chicago surrendered three sacks and seven quarterback hits that led to two Fields’ fumbles, one of which numbered among the three fumbles the Bears turned over to the Vikings defense on their way to a 17-9 defeat.

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Dillard Still Viable Option, Could use Change of Scenery

The Eagles selected Dillard with the 22nd pick in the 2019 NFL draft to anchor their offensive line. He’s battled injury early in his career, missing the entirety of the 2020 campaign, and ultimately lost his starting job in a heated preseason competition this year with Jordan Mailata, a seventh-round draft choice in 2018.

Philadelphia has committed to Mailata, inking him to a four-year, $64 million deal this season. The Eagles have made their choice, but that doesn’t diminish Dillard’s value. At only 26 years old, the left tackle has appeared in 13 games for the Eagles this season, starting four of those. He grades out slightly lower overall than does Peters with a PFF rating of 69.5 this season, but would be the Bears best pass blocker based on PFF’s evaluation system, Peters included.

Dillard is under contract through the 2022 season, after which he will be a restricted free agent before reaching unrestricted status in 2024. The once highly touted prospect out of Washington State will be hungry for an opportunity as his next contract approaches.

He’s affordable after the Eagles paid the majority of his $12 million-plus rookie deal to this point. Dillard represents a cap hit of less than $4 million next season, per Spotrac, making him a young, affordable upgrade for a Bears offensive line that can clearly use it.

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