Bears make splashy NFL trade deadline move. Where their 2024 draft picks stand now

Bears make splashy NFL trade deadline move. Where their 2024 draft picks stand now originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Ryan Poles made another splashy NFL trade deadline deal on Tuesday to acquire defensive end Montez Sweat in exchange for a second-round pick.

The move bolsters the defensive line in a big way and gives the team a second bonafide pass rusher to work opposite Yannick Ngakoue. The Bears, understandably, had to pay a steep price to bring Sweat into the fold.

With a 2-6 record their second round pick currently slots as the No. 35 overall selection in the draft.

Here’s the full list of the Bears 2024 draft picks after the Sweat trade:

– First-round pick

– First-round pick (via Panthers)

– Third-round pick

– Fourth-round pick

– Fourth-round pick (via Eagles)

– Fifth-round pick

– Sixth-round pick

The Bears picked up their extra first-rounder from the Panthers in the deal that sent the No. 1 overall pick in 2023 to Carolina. The fourth-rounder from Philly came in the deal where the Bears and Eagles swapped the Nos. 9 and 10 picks in this year’s draft. The Eagles came up to grab Jalen Carter while the Bears slid back one spot and nabbed Darnell Wright. The Bears traded away their seventh-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for N’Keal Harry last summer.

The Bears acquired an extra sixth-round draft pick when they traded Chase Claypool and a seventh-round pick to the Dolphins, but both of those picks are for the 2025 draft.

One reason the Chicago Bears traded for Montez Sweat over Chase Young

The Chicago Bears pulled off a major trade when they sent a second-round pick to the Washington Commanders for edge rusher Montez Sweat.

Sweat will help a Bears pass rush that has generated just 10 sacks.

Sweat has 6.5 sacks this season and 35.5 for his career in 67 games. The 27-year-old is set to be a free agent after the season.

Giving up what is currently projected to be the No. 37 pick according to Tankathon.com is a high price to pay for a player that you currently have to label a rental.

It leaves the Chicago Bears with just six draft picks for the 2024 draft although two of them are in the first round.

It is also a hefty price to pay for a player that general manager Ryan Poles could just go out next offseason and sign as the Bears have plenty of cap space.

Maybe Poles did not want to compete for Sweat’s services in a weak pass-rushing draft.

Chicago Tribune’s NFL beat writer Brad Biggs is speculating the Bears will try to work out a contract extension to make this trade make sense. Plus, they can always franchise tag him in the offseason.

Another problem with this trade is a rebuilding team chose a player who is 27 over his former teammate Chase Young, who is 24.

Young is rumored to be on the trade market and there was rumor floating around over the weekend that the Chicago Bears were going to acquire him.

It turns out there is a valid reason the Bears probably chose Sweat over Young.

Young won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 after posting 7.5 sacks. Injuries limited him to just 12 games during his next two seasons.

He is healthy this year and has racked up five sacks so far. Durability is something Ryan Poles prioritizes, and Sweat has only missed seven games in his career.

Had the Poles traded for Young, he would have needed to sign him to an extension as Young is set to be a free agent after the season.

You cannot blame Poles for going with the durable Sweat.

Now he just needs to sign Sweat to an extension to avoid making a terrible trade before the deadline for the second consecutive year. At the very least, we need to hope that this is not the defensive version of the Chase Claypool trade.