Shy of an unlikely blockbuster deal for Maxx Crosby, the Chicago Bears are past the point in the offseason where they can make a splash transaction for an elite edge-rusher, but the team can still considerably improve by filling that unaddressed roster gap.
A handful of reasonably-priced veterans who put up solid numbers last season remain available in free agency, led by names like Joey Bosa, Cameron Jordan and Jadeveon Clowney. All of those players are likely to be one-year solutions, or maybe two in Bosa’s case, which might suit Chicago’s purposes just fine.
However, if the Bears want to look younger and for more longterm upside, a trade for Kayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants remains one of the more promising pathways forward. Despite noise coming out of the Giants organization that the team is not shopping its former first-round pick, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reported the opposite on Tuesday, April 28.
“The [New Orleans] Saints were the team most interested in trading for Thibodeaux, however, according to a league source. The problem was the sides weren’t close on potential compensation,” Duggan wrote. “The Saints’ best offer is believed to have been a fourth-round pick (No. 132), while the Giants were seeking a second-round pick — the Saints had the 42nd selection.”
With the draft now over, flipping Thibodeaux potentially gets more complicated. However, if the Bears come with a reasonable offer, they may be able to nab the 25-year-old edge at good value.
Kayvon Thibodeaux Has Upside, Recent History of Injury Concerns
GettyKayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants.
The Bears could split the difference and offer a third-round pick as compensation for Thibodeaux.
He has tallied 23.5 sacks over four seasons (53 games played and started) since joining the league. However, 11.5 of those sacks came in 2023 — two years ago and the only time that Thibodeaux has played a full season during his professional career.
The Bears must also consider his contract and the context of the Giants’ roster.
Thibodeaux will play in 2026 on a fifth-year option worth $14.75 million, which is reasonable value for a pass-rusher with promise given the exploding free-agency market at the position, even if Thibodeaux has tallied just 13 tackles for loss and eight sacks across 22 games over the past two years combined.
Bears Should Try to Keep Draft Assets in 2027, Trade 2028 Pick to Giants for Kayvon Thibodeaux
GettyKayvon Thibodeaux of the New York Giants.
The problem is that Thibodeaux becomes an unrestricted free agent next spring. If Chicago trades for him now and he plays well, he will either cost a boatload to re-sign or the Bears risk losing him, and the pick they traded for him, after just one year of production.
The Giants selected Arvell Reese, an outside linebacker/edge-rusher from Ohio State, with the No. 5 overall pick, adding him to an already over-saturated pass-rush group. Depth at a premier position is great to have, but if everyone remains healthy, the Giants will be paying Thibodeaux a lot of money to play a limited number of snaps.
That, at least in theory, limits his value to New York and impacts what asset(s) Chicago decides to bring to the negotiating table.
Finally, the Bears probably want to keep as much capital in the 2027 draft as possible given how talented that class projects to be. Thus, a third-round pick next year is arguably worth considerably more than one in 2026 or 2028.
So the best-case scenario for Chicago is to offer, and hopefully attain, Thibodeaux for a third-round pick in 2028, but only do so if they can sign him to an extension this offseason at a reasonable price point.
For the Bears to actually go through with that, they’d need to be certain of both Thibodeaux’s medicals and his motivation/ability to regain something close to his 2023 form. New York, meanwhile, would have to agree to a draft pick two years off, or otherwise accept a fourth- or fifth-round asset in 2027 given the overall talent of the upcoming draft class.
Bears Among Worst-Pass Rushing Defenses in NFL Last Season
GettyDefensive end Montez Sweat of the Chicago Bears.
Chicago’s defense struggled mightily to pressure opposing quarterbacks last season, with defensive end Montez Sweat the only player to sniff double-digit sacks. He finished the campaign with 10 of them, followed in second place by defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. with six sacks and second-year pass-rusher Austin Booker with 4.5 sacks.
All told, the Bears tallied 35 sacks, which was good enough to tie the defense for 22nd-place in that category with several other units. The advanced numbers, however, paint an even bleaker picture.
Chicago was 31st in pass-rush win rate out of 32 teams with a mark of 29 percent, while the Bears were dead last in quick pressure rate at 14 percent (creating pressure inside 2.5 seconds).
Hence, why it was so surprising head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles didn’t add a single edge-rusher across seven picks in last weekend’s NFL draft.
“The Bears weren’t enamored with this year’s crop of defensive linemen and chose to prioritize other positions instead of adding impact players to their pass rush,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported.
The team selected only one defensive lineman throughout the process, and did so with its final choice, spending a sixth-rounder (No. 213) overall on Jordan van den Berg out of Georgia Tech.
Bears Trade Pitch Secures Polarizing 23.5-Sack Edge for Future Pick