The Chicago Bears‘ most glaring personnel deficiency continues to be the edge-rusher position opposite Montez Sweat, but the chances of a blockbuster deal for a game-wrecking player at the position appear to be getting better by the day.
The player in question is defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the league’s single-season record holder with 23 sacks — a mark he set last year while also tallying the most tackles for loss in the NFL (33).
Garrett doesn’t turn 31 years old until late December and remains at the absolute peak of his prime. He has 125.5 career sacks and isn’t likely to slow down significantly for some time. His $160 million extension, which he inked last offseason after making noise about wanting a trade out of Cleveland, keeps him under contract through 2030.
All of that adds up to render Garrett the ultimate answer to the Bears’ pass-rush concerns. Beyond that, Garrett has yet to even meet new Browns head coach Todd Monken after several months in that job, and the defensive end is currently absent from the second week of team OTAs. He has skipped all of the voluntary work up to this point in the offseason.
In part because of Garrett’s decision to do so as well as other factors, like his past issues with the franchise, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested this week that the end may be near for the DE in Cleveland.
“Things are ‘TBD’ until you hear otherwise,” Breer said, per TheDawgsPodcast on Instagram. “That could be next week. That could be the trade deadline. It’s absolutely something worth paying attention to. This could just be time.”
Myles Garrett Acquisition Would Immediately Address Greatest Weak Points on Bears’ Defense
GettyCleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett.
Chicago was among the worst pass-rushing defenses in the league last year.
The unit tallied 35 sacks total, while Sweat led the way with 10 sacks of his own. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was second on the team with six sacks, while no other individual player had more than 4.5 sacks.
The Bears were also near the very bottom of the league in quick pressures and pass rush win rate. Thus, the addition of Garrett would prove monumental to the team’s ability to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, force turnovers and help what looks to be a talented secondary — but also a relatively young and new group of defensive backs — by trimming coverage time on passing downs.
Myles Garrett Trade Represents a Win-Now Move for Bears
GettyDefensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
The question, if trade talk around Garrett becomes legitimate, involves how much he will cost/how much Chicago is willing to pay for him.
The Bears own all of their draft picks in 2027, which is a monster draft loaded with talent at quarterback, wide receiver, the secondary and — where Chicago is most concerned — off the edge and on the interior of the defensive line.
First-round picks and second-round capital — even third-round selections — next year should all have meaningfully increased value because of the talent available across so many different position groups.
If Logan Jones, a second-round pick of the Bears in April, proves out as a legitimate starting center, and 2025 second-round left tackle Ozzy Trapilo returns to full strength by the end of next year after the torn patellar tendon he suffered during Round 1 of the playoffs, then Chicago should be in good shape on the offensive line.
Talent along the defensive front, particularly off the edge, is likely to be the primary weak spot on the roster/focal point of the draft and free agency moving forward. The Bears don’t have to force a Super Bowl roster after playing above expectations in Johnson’s first year at the helm in. They won the NFC North and a playoff game — though a step back is possible, or even likely, in 2026.
Trading at least two first-round picks and then some for Garrett would immediately erase Chicago’s greatest weakness. It could also help the defense remain closer to its league-leading turnover tally/rate in 2025, which is a pivotal statistic that is ever-prone to regression, as it always includes at least some luck for whatever team leads the category in a given year.
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