Recapping everything the Bears did, and didn’t do, at the 2023 trade deadline

A hectic 2023 NFL trade deadline came and went, with several teams shaking things up, including the Chicago Bears.

The Bears sent their 2024 second-round pick to the Washington Commanders in exchange for vaunted pass rusher Montez Sweat. They were also in talks for Washington’s other premier pass rusher, former second-overall pick Chase Young, but his medical history, among other things, prevented a deal from happening.

The Commanders viewed the Young trade as addition by subtraction.

Woof. That’s a big indictment of a player and certainly not something Chicago needs right now. Sweat, on the other hand, is a proven asset who possesses the most critical of all traits: availability.

Sweat broke his jaw in 2021 and missed 7 games, but that’s his only injury — and missed time — since 2019.

Another interesting note: Sweat and his new teammate, Yannick Ngakoue, have faced double teams at almost the same rate this year. It will be interesting to see which pass rusher opposing defenses choose to double moving forward now that both are on the same defensive line.

All that remains now is to sign Sweat to a well-earned contract extension, which should be coming soon, according to NFL insiders.

As for the Jaylon Johnson situation, he remains a Chicago Bear … for now.

Johnson was granted permission to seek a trade, and while several teams aggressively pursued him, reports suggest the Bears’ asking price, as well as Johnson’s contract demands, were too high.

This is good because it means Ryan Poles’ valuation of his young cornerback is higher than many assumed. He didn’t just give Johnson away. Now, he has to value him properly and sign him to a new deal.

Johnson’s representatives said he won’t engage in contract negotiations for the rest of the season, so I’d expect the franchise tag to be in play. That will give Poles and Johnson more time to set aside emotions and reach an agreement. It won’t be soon enough for some fans, but I’m confident Jaylon Johnson will be a Chicago Bear for the foreseeable future.

Another change to the Chicago Bears that mainly went under the radar: seventh-round pick Travis Bell was poached from the team’s practice squad. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons.

While this has no material effect on the Bears, it is a bit of a gut punch for me, and I’m sure it is for Poles.

Poles gushed whenever he talked about the defensive tackle from Kennesaw State, calling him a great human being and an exciting player. In the preseason, Bell flashed impressive potential several times, even getting a sack. Like Poles, I, too, was intrigued by Bell’s potential and had been looking forward to seeing if he could earn a spot on the roster in the coming years.

In another bizarre twist in a frustrating season for Bears fans, it was announced on Wednesday morning that running backs coach David Walker had been fired for “workplace behavior,” according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

Walker had already been reprimanded for his behavior and, after a second infraction, was terminated. According to Cronin, Walker’s dismissal was unrelated to the termination of former defensive coordinator Alan Williams.

Frankly, I’m unsure how the Bears can let head coach Matt Eberflus remain in place after this. It’d be one thing if the Bears were winning. It’s no secret that a lot of bad behavior can, sadly, be swept under the rug so long as there are wins. But he’s 5-20 as head coach, the defense, which is supposed to be his specialty, is disappointing, and he has now had two coaches from his staff terminated for unbecoming reasons.

Where is the line in the sand for GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren? At what point can things be bad or embarrassing enough for them to fire Eberflus? Some have said the acquisition of Sweat means Eberflus is likely to stick around, but I don’t buy that. That move says nothing about Eberflus’ job security to me.

Apparently, that line hasn’t been crossed … yet.