The Chicago Bears could soon see a trade door swing open on a rising-star edge rusher if the Philadelphia Eagles lose their fifth straight game on Monday Night Football.
The Bears are 5-2 and firmly in the playoff picture entering the eighth week of the 2026 season, but expectations are growing that they will aggressively seek trade options to improve their defensive line before the NFL trade deadline on November 10.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are in a downward spiral ahead of Monday night’s game against the Dallas Cowboys after losing four of their first six games and starting quarterback Jalen Hurts to season-ending blot clots. Another loss could push them to sell at the trade deadline.
Could that include shopping edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr., a former first-round pick?
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes it could and even listed the Bears as one of his potential landing spots when examining trade candidates before the deadline.
“Because the Eagles restructured Smith’s fifth-year option — a pretty rare occurrence — they would take on a little less than $1 million in dead money in 2027 if they traded Smith,” Popper wrote on October 22. “The Eagles are now in a rare position. They can sell and potentially earn a high draft slot, affording GM Howie Roseman a chance to retool.
“Smith, a violent edge-setter who had 13 pressures through the first six weeks, would be a trade option if Roseman aggressively pursues this rebuild opportunity.”
Nolan Smith Could Have Long-Term Potential for Bears
Smith would not be a slam-dunk edge rusher solution for the Bears if they acquired him from the Eagles before the trade deadline, but the potential for him to enhance their roster in both the short and long term is potent.
Smith has just 13.5 sacks in 51 career games at outside linebacker for the Eagles, but he is off to a promising start with three sacks and 13 pressures through the first six games of the 2026 season. He is also deceptively good against the run despite his smaller 6-foot-2 and 238-pound frame.
The questions with Smith are twofold: Would a change in system improve his production as a pass rusher? And could the Bears leverage his underwhelming sack numbers into a discount?
The Bears would need to confidently believe that “yes” is the answer to the first question before chatting with the Eagles about a potential trade, but the second is a distinct possibility.
Smith would carry only the remainder of his $1.145 million guaranteed base salary in 2026 to Chicago in a trade. The Bears would then owe him roughly $4 million to keep him on the roster in 2027 through the end of his $25.8 million rookie contract.
The challenge is the Eagles’ asking price. If they are willing to take a late Day 2 selection — or a package equivalent to that value — then the Bears could be in business. But if Eagles general manager Howie Roseman seeks a second-round pick for Smith, it may be a non-starter.
The pitch: The Bears acquire Smith from the Eagles for a 2028 conditional fourth-round pick (with potential to upgrade to a third-rounder based on production) and a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Bears News: Montez Sweat Returns From NFL Suspension
An edge rusher trade would not surprise Bears fans at this point.
Fox Sports insider Jay Glazer has even reported that Chicago has already called the Los Angeles Chargers inquiring about the potential availability of veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack in a trade, suggesting they are prepared to make a big trade if the right deal presents itself.
For now, though, the Bears have one more game to evaluate their current pass rush — and it will at least look a little different when they face Seattle on Monday Night Football in Week 8.
Bears veteran pass rusher Montez Sweat has officially returned to the 53-man roster on October 23 after serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s PED policy. He is expected to be back on the field when they play the Seahawks for the first time since Week 5’s blowout loss.
Sweat’s return means the Bears will have one final opportunity to evaluate how a primary pass-rush rotation of Sweat, Austin Booker and Shemar Turner (returned during Sweat’s suspension) could work for them before the trade deadline. They will eventually return Dayo Odeyingbo, too — but he is not eligible to return from injured reserve until after the deadline passes.
The Bears could make a defensive line trade anyway, but they will have an eight-day window after playing the Seahawks to assess how their near-full-strength unit performed and whether a bigger move is needed to avoid squandering their hot start.
Bears Trade Pitch Lands $25.8 Million Rising-Star DE From Eagles