Bears head coach Matt Eberflus could still use another experience pass rusher for his defensive line in 2023.
As the second week of OTAs begins, the Chicago Bears still need some additional pass-rushing help in their defensive trenches for the 2023 season. But rather than make a blockbuster trade for someone such as Chase Young, there may be a better — lower-risk — move they could make to acquire a proven veteran leader.
Chicago Bears Central co-host Haize broke out his “Bears trade wishlist” in a May 28 video for Bleacher Report and outlined four “wild” trade ideas for experienced pass rushers that could appeal to the Bears as they build toward the 2023 regular season. While not all of them were screaming with practicality, one in particular — for Miami’s Emmanuel Ogbah — could yield a low-risk, high-reward solution for Chicago’s defense.
The trade proposal would see the Bears acquire the 29-year-old Ogbah and the three years remaining on his contract in exchange for one of their 2024 fourth-round picks. Ideally, the Bears would be able to talk the Dolphins into accepting the fourth-rounder they picked up from the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2023 NFL draft when the Eagles moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 in the first round to get Georgia star Jalen Carter.
“When you look at the fact that the Dolphins traded for [Bradley] Chubb [and] they have Jaelan Phillips down there as well, there’s some uncertainty around Ogbah’s status and how he fits in that 3-4 defense,” Haize said. “[The Bears] are probably going to go through all of the preseason really evaluating the talent they have there, but it’s a talent they could look at coming out of the preseason [if they are] thinking they need more depth.”
Dolphins’ Crowded EDGE Spot Could Motivate Trade
GettyDolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah could be a trade target for the Bears before the 2023 season begins.
In terms of talent, Ogbah checks most of the boxes for the Bears’ pass-rushing needs. He is a big force (6-foot-4, 278 pounds) off the edge who has proven he can create problems for opposing quarterbacks, having racked up nine sacks and more than 60 pressures in each 2020 and 2021 for the Dolphins. He is also a more natural fit as a defensive end in a 4-3 defensive scheme, like the one Matt Eberflus runs in Chicago.
Ogbah, however, is flying a bit under the radar after a disappointing 2022 that saw him struggle following the firing of defensive-minded head coach Brian Flores. He finished with career lows in snaps (328), tackles (11) and sacks (one) over nine games and did not get the chance to play with Chubb — the Dolphins’ highly-touted trade acquisition — before he suffered a season-ending triceps injury in Week 10 against Cleveland.
Fortunately for the Bears, Ogbah’s down year could create an opportunity for them. The Dolphins now have Chubb and 2021 first-rounder Jaelan Phillips, both of whom are better suited for the 3-4 outside linebacker role than Ogbah, in their starting edge spots and could be motivated to move his massive contract off their books with the 29-year-old due to carry cap hits of more than $17 million in each of the next three seasons.
The Dolphins are also projected to be more than $31 million (per Over the Cap) over the cap in 2024 and could stand to clear some of the larger numbers from their books.
Emmanuel Ogbah Has Easy Out After 2023 Season
GettyBears general manager Ryan Poles, right, has generally made low-risk trades during his tenure.
Now, you’re probably asking: Why would the Bears want to add such a contract?
The thing with Ogbah’s contract is it is truly only a high-cost affair for one season, if the Bears decide that’s all they want out of him. Ogbah will earn the last of his guaranteed money in 2023 and would chew up about $17.1 million of the Bears’ remaining $32.5 million in space for 2023, but the Bears could turn around and designate him as a post-June 1 cut in 2024 and only be left with $2 million in dead cap in each 2024 and 2025.
Essentially, Chicago would be flipping a fourth-round pick to pay a total of $21 million to a pass rusher who has done some damage when allowed to play his natural position. If he thrives, the Bears could work out an extension/restructured contract with him to keep him in place as a veteran leader of the group. And if not, he would amount to a pricey one-year rental during a year in which they have ample amounts of cap space.
That all said, the Bears could probably still find suitable options on the open market that would cost them less in the long run. Yannick Ngakoue remains unsigned and is slightly younger (28) than Ogbah with more recent production. Ngakoue has never finished a single one of his seven seasons with fewer than eight sacks despite playing for four different teams over the past three years, but his low pass-rush win rate (11%) is concerning even with the sack numbers to earn some consideration.
Frank Clark, Leonard Floyd, Jadeveon Clowney, Shelby Harris and Melvin Ingram are also among the unsigned veterans who could offer the Bears a significant boost.