The Chicago Bears had a need at the outside cornerback position and a fifth-round draft pick in 2027 to make a deal happen for Riq Woolen of the Philadelphia Eagles, but the front office chose not to make the move.
Chicago was interested in adding a cornerback, and NFL reporters and analysts mentioned Woolen’s name specifically as a top option on multiple occasions.
“Bears might not be done adding to their defense,” Thomas R. Petersen reported on social media November 5. “They are reportedly in deep competition with [Detroit] Lions to acquire Riq Woolen from the Eagles.”
Woolen is playing this season, his fifth in the league, on a one-year deal worth $12 million. He has earned $21 million over the course of his career. He has tallied 61 passes defensed, 12 interceptions, two forced fumbles and a defensive TD over 73 total appearances, including 62 starts.
Bears Face Schedule of Mostly Elite Offenses Down Stretch of Regular Season
Chicago is currently amid its Week 10 bye after a 7-2 start to the campaign, so it will be a while before the consequences of the team’s decision not to add to the secondary play out on the field. But those games are coming in relatively short order.
The Bears have the New Orleans Saints at Soldier Field when they return to action on November 22, which could be a test of the defensive backfield with the stable of talented wide receivers at QB Tyler Shough’s disposal, including Chris Olave, Devaughn Vele and rookie Jordyn Tyson who played his first NFL regular season action last weekend after missing time with a hamstring injury.
Four days later, the Bears travel to Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day to take on the high-powered Detroit Lions‘ offense that features speed all over the field.
Next on the schedule (December 6) is the Jacksonville Jaguars, one of the AFC favorites that also boasts several quality pass-catchers, including Brian Thomas Jr. who the team did not trade at the deadline and has barely used over the last month despite a 1,300-yard rookie campaign in 2024.
Chicago’s Week 15-17 slate also includes matchups against the Bills in Buffalo then back-to-back home contests against the Packers’ elite pass offense and the Lions a second time.
Bears Made Blockbuster Move for Defensive Tackle Jeffery Simmons
No one can criticize the Bears for not getting better at the trade deadline after the team sent out two first-round picks, and then some, to the Tennessee Titans in return for superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
That deal has paid off swimmingly through two games, as Chicago is 2-0 over that run and Simmons has proven dominant.
But the team’s outside cornerbacks, namely Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson, have been among the worst in the league for most of the year. Johnson did return an interception for a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the most recent iteration of “Sunday Night Football” last weekend. However, that one big play does not make up for all the mistakes he has made this season.
Woolen would have undoubtedly been an upgrade in the Bears’ secondary as they have currently constructed it, and he probably wouldn’t have been overly expensive. But Chicago chose not to make that move, and only time will tell how much the Bears’ decision might cost them.
Bears Missed $21 Million CB Trade That Could Haunt Team Down Road