The Chicago Bears are off to an even worse start than last year, which could mean major roster additions are looming in the near future.
Most notably, Chicago may be searching for a running back who can do more between the tackles than D’Andre Swift has shown through two games, but the pass-rush is also a concern, particularly with the secondary so banged up.
Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are both out for Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, while defensive back Jaylon Jones will also sit out the contest, per the team’s official injury report.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explained last week the cyclical issues that all the injuries in the Bears’ secondary are causing, which is made worse by the lack of a pass-rush.
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“It’s a vicious cycle,” Barnwell wrote on September 18. “Because the secondary is in a shambles, [Bears defensive coordinator Dennis] Allen can’t play much man coverage, which was a goal for this defense heading into the season. And without any faith in the cornerbacks, the Bears can’t send extra rushers — with Chicago running the NFL’s fourth-lowest blitz rate.
“And because they can’t blitz, the Bears don’t get any pressure, with their 20.8% pressure rate good for 28th in the league. And if you don’t get pressure, life’s going to be much tougher on your defensive backs.”
Based on Barnwell’s analysis, the Bears have two choices — they can wait for the cornerback room to heal from multiple nagging soft-tissue injuries and potentially risk falling behind in a tightly contested playoff race, or they can figure out a way to better pressure opposing quarterbacks and make life easier for the defensive backs healthy enough still to play.
Chicago is 0-2. Teams that lose their first three games of the season historically have a minimal chance of making the playoffs. The Miami Dolphins just fell to 0-3 after losing to the Buffalo Bills on “Thursday Night Football,” and they could be sellers as early as the next week or two.
One player Miami might look to move, whom the Bears could target in a potential trade, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, is edge-rusher Jaelan Phillips.
“Another 2021 first-round pick playing out his fifth-year option with no deal beyond 2025, Phillips could be a very interesting target for pass rush-needy teams if the Dolphins fall out of contention and decide they aren’t going to keep him long term,” Graziano wrote Friday.
“He has had trouble staying healthy, but he’s healthy right now, and a prorated portion of his $13.251 million salary wouldn’t be too onerous in a league in which everyone’s always looking for edge-rushers. Phillips had 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons in the NFL before injuries limited him to 12 games over the next two years.”
While Chicago can’t get Phillips in the door for this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, Phillips could prove a meaningful addition for a back-to-back road stint against the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington Commanders in Weeks 4 and 5 if the Bears can pry him away from Miami.
The Bears are currently tied for the fourth-fewest sacks in the NFL (three), and no player has more than three pressures or two hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.
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