Five players the Chicago Bears might trade next
Fresh off two trades following the team's embarrassing 26-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it appears that the Chicago Bears are on the verge of blowing things up.
Pass rusher Jared Allen was dealt to the Carolina Panthers on Monday for a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft. Meanwhile, former second-round pick Jon Bostic was traded to the New England Patriots for a late-round pick on Tuesday.
By all accounts, this is new Bears general manager Ryan Pace looking to move on from the disastrous days of the Phil Emery-led front office. At 0-3 on the season and without much hope of improvement, Chicago would be smart to stockpile draft picks for aging veterans.
Here are five Bears players that could be moved between now and the NFL trade deadline:
Matt Forte, Running Back
There have been some whispers that teams have approached Chicago regarding Forte's availability. This isn't too much of a surprise considering the veteran running back is set to be a free agent next March and isn't expected to be back with the team, at least if we read between the lines prior to this season.
Among the teams that have reportedly expressed interest in Forte, the Dallas Cowboys could make some sense. Though, salary cap issues could make Forte nothing more than a rental. Contending teams such as the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons might want to kick the tires on this possibility moving forward.
Martellus Bennett, Tight End
After leading NFL tight ends in receptions last year, Bennett has put up just 13 catches in three games this season. Set to count $6.3 million against the cap in 2016 — the final year of his contract — Chicago may look into moving Bennett. And in reality, there are a ton of contending teams that could be in the market for his services. The Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals come to mind first.
Eddie Royal, Wide Receiver
A slot receiver extraordinaire, Royal is coming off a 2014 season that saw him catch 62 passes for 778 yards and seven scores for the San Diego Chargers. With Alshon Jeffery sidelined to injury, the veteran has been Chicago's top wide receiver this year, going for 11 receptions. That's how bad it has been in Chicago.
Even with two more years remaining on a deal he signed in March, Royal could easily be trade bait. It's not a secret that the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs could be in need of receiver help moving forward. Both teams make sense here.
Jay Ratliff, Defensive Tackle
Following two injury-plagued seasons with Dallas that saw a Pro Bowl career come to a crashing halt, it appeared that Ratliff was back at full health last year. He started 11 games for Chicago, finishing as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.
Suspended for the first three games of this season after violating the league's substance abuse policy, Ratliff is expected back on the active roster this week. If he shows that his stellar play wasn't an outlier last year, teams will almost certainly express interest in his services.
Jay Cutler, Quarterback
This is absolutely absurd, right? Why would any team pick up the $91 million-plus that is owed to Cutler over the next five seasons? After all, this is a player that was benched in favor of Jimmy Clausen last year and is currently dealing with a hamstring injury. Heck, he has committed the second-most turnovers for a quarterback since the start of the 2013 season.
Well, the answer is rather simple. Cutler is an upgrade at the quarterback position for a good half dozen teams out there. He also only has about $19 million fully guaranteed on his deal following this season and wouldn't cost much in terms of draft pick compensation. Anyone here think Ryan Fitzpatrick or Geno Smith are better options for the New York Jets? I didn't think so.
Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.
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