The Chicago Bears are candidates to add either a pass-rusher or a cornerback on trade deadline day, and circumstances are shaping up for the team to acquire former Pro Bowler Riq Woolen from the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia has already traded offensive lineman Cam Jurgens and defensive tackle Jordan Davis for big returns. Subsequently, the team had a deal in place to send defensive end Arnold Ebiketie to the Cincinnati Bengals on Tuesday, November 10 but rescinded the offer upon finding out from the league office that making the trade would wipe away a projected third-round compensatory draft pick next year after the team lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency.
But the crumbling of the Ebiketie deal aside, the Eagles (2-7) have shown themselves to be willing sellers of any players not in their longterm plans, assuming they get the right price. And as far as Chicago is concerned, the one talent remaining on Philadelphia’s defense who would make plenty of sense in a Bears uniform is Woolen.
Bears Need Help at Outside Cornerback Ahead of Trade Deadline
Woolen is 27 and a fifth-year pro currently playing on a one-year contract in Philly worth $12 million.
He earned Pro Bowl honors in his inaugural NFL campaign with the Seattle Seahawks and also finished third in AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Woolen is the type of outside cornerback that the Bears need now perhaps more than any other position on either side of the football.
Jaylon Johnson did intercept a pass off Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and return it for a touchdown on “Sunday Night Football” this past week, but both Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson entered that game as among the NFL’s worst-performing outside CBs through eight contests.
Jeffery Simmons Has Changed Bears’ Defense, Made Trade for Player Like Riq Woolen More Attractive
Chicago added defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, for two first-round picks and a swap of a future fourth-rounder for a future fifth-rounder. While an overwhelming price, Simmons has proved more than worth it so far with monster performances over the past two games.
His presence as a force multiplier on the defensive line has changed the entire dynamic of Chicago’s once highly questionable defensive unit, particularly in terms of making life easier for members of the secondary.
If the Bears add Woolen’s ball production at the deadline — 61 pass breakups, 12 interceptions, two forced fumbles and a defensive TD across 73 games played (62 starts) — they will be setting up the backend of the defense to make splash plays off of the work Simmons and company are now doing in dominant fashion up front.
Chicago has a fifth-round draft pick in 2027 that it can trade for Woolen, and the Bears have reported interest in doing so. The only question is whether that will be enough, as other teams like the NFC North rival Detroit Lions are also interested in the Eagles cornerback.
“Bears might not be done adding to their defense,” Thomas R. Petersen reported via X on November 5. “They are reportedly in deep competition with Lions to acquire Riq Woolen from the Eagles.”
Bears in Strong Position to Trade for Pro Bowl CB After Latest Eagles’ News