There's a healthy mixture of excitement and nerves one week into the new Chicago Bears season.
On the plus side? The Bears are 1-0, their first time above .500 since this time two years ago. On the downside, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams didn't look great at all in his first NFL game.
What stood out in the Bears' 24-17 win over the Tennessee Titans was the improved defense, particularly the pass rush, with the trade addition of Darrell Taylor. The former Seattle Seahawk picked up two sacks and a forced fumble against Tennessee.
If the Bears' pass rush is already serviceable, perhaps they should go nuclear in their attempts to make a playoff appearance in 2024. That would mean taking a chance on disgruntled New York Jets star Haason Reddick.
On Friday, ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler proposed a deal that would send Reddick and a 2025 fifth-round pick to Chicago in exchange for a third-rounder and a sixth-rounder in next year's draft.
"The Bears have been in the pass-rush market for a while. They were close to trading for Matthew Judon but weren't willing to give him a new contract... Reddick's desire for a new deal could give Chicago pause, but if his holdout lingers to the trade deadline, his only choice would be to play the remainder of his deal on a new team."
Even if the Bears are only adding Reddick for half a season, his presence could not only help the defense in 2024, but help establish an overall team defensive identity that could propel the Bears to future playoff appearances.
Plus, isn't there still a chance the Bears could give Reddick the extension he desires? He's over two years younger than Judon, and Chicago has a projected $72 million in cap space to work with in 2025, according to Over The Cap.
At the very least, it's worth a call to the Jets to see if Fowler's proposed deal is on the table. If the Bears want to contend sooner rather than later, Reddick will get them closer to the playoffs than any third-round pick could.
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