It just got easier for Chicago Bears to land top trade target

The Chicago Bears have quickly overhauled and elevated the talent across the offensive line, and now general manager Ryan Poles and Co. can turn their attention to upgrading the front-seven on defense.

Signing defensive tackle Grady Jarrett was a significant step in the right direction, both in terms of adding savvy veteran leadership up front but also in creating a potentially dominant interior pass rush capable of wreaking havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

However, one big need that the Bears have yet to fix is adding a disruptive pass rusher to pair opposite Montez Sweat. That might be about to change.

Trey Hendrickson could be in play for the Chicago Bears

Before free agency even began, All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, and the likelihood of him actually getting moved may have just improved exponentially.

Cincinnati may have more urgency to deal Hendrickson, after committing $276 million, combined, to wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Retaining two of quarterback Joe Burrow’s most reliable and favorite targets was clearly an organizational priority in a way that retaining one of the top pass rushers in the sport was not, to the Bengals.

The Bears have been linked as a possible destination for Hendrickson because of the combination of a significant need at the position as well as the resources Poles and Chicago have at their disposal to put together both an appealing trade package and a lucrative contract for the 30-year-old who has posted 17.5 sacks each of the past two seasons.

Chicago still has $30.2 million in cap space this offseason, after acquiring Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Grady Jarrett in the early stages of free agency, and are projected to be upwards of $214 million under the cap in 2026, which is abundant spending flexibility to fit a long-term extension for Hendrickson under the cap.

Meanwhile, the Bears have two second-round picks in this April’s draft, as well as the No. 10 overall selection, to dangle to Cincinnati as part of a package for Hendrickson.

An argument can be made that the Bears would get more out of trading at least one of their premium picks for Hendrickson based on his impact on the defense, and Chicago looking to accelerate its timeline to make a deep postseason run.

It remains to be seen whether the Bears can pull off a trade, but it just became much more difficult for the Bengals to keep Hendrickson and a blockbuster deal could be the next shoe to drop for Cincinnati this offseason.