The Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys are two NFL teams in vastly different situations.
On one hand, the Bears have been desperately trying to find a franchise quarterback for years, and hope they finally have the solution in Caleb Williams. They have plenty of cap space to build around Williams moving forward, but this season has revealed that the roster around Williams might not be ready to contend yet.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have their franchise quarterback. It's Dak Prescott, who they signed to a record-breaking four-year, $240 million extension earlier this season. But the pressure to win championships is ever-present, and the Cowboys have a tough hill to climb in a deep NFC.
As they try to reconcile a future salary cap including Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, Dallas will still look to make improvements this year while they can. Cowboys director of player personnel Stephen Jones hinted at possible trades in a radio interview earlier this week.
“Could we take advantage of an opportunity if we felt like the situation was there? Absolutely we can,” Jones said recently on 105.3 The Fan (via The Athletic). “Obviously the cap is a lot more than just about this year. Where our pressure starts to hit is going forward, as we try to have three players the caliber of Dak and CeeDee and Micah.”
Jones' statement appears to be a strong indication that if the Cowboys are going to be buyers, they'll mainly be looking for veterans on expiring contracts, so as to leave cap flexibility in future seasons.
That makes Bears receiver Keenan Allen a prime trade target for Dallas. The six-time Pro Bowler has missed two of Chicago's first three games with a heel injury, and will be a free agent at the end of his age-32 season.
If the 1-2 Bears keep up their losing ways, they will have to consider moving Allen to recoup some value for him before he hits the free-agent market. And with Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore locked in as their top two targets moving forward, there's an argument to be made that they don't need Allen anyway.
Both teams needs shape up perfectly for a possible blockbuster. Dallas gets the steady number-two option they need behind Lamb, while the Bears get more draft capital to load up on young talent for future playoff runs.
More NFL: Bears could swing stunning trade for six-time Pro Bowler, go all-in on defense
