The Chicago Bears were hoping to turn a corner as they made Ben Johnson their new head coach. So far, that has proven to be the case, as they have the same number of wins in half the number of games as last season.
The offense, despite some missteps from quarterback Caleb Williams, has been humming along nicely. Unfortunately, it’s the defense that has proven to be the team’s Achilles heel, with resistance hard to come by. With the trade deadline fast approaching, the organization chose to be shrewd and add an underrated defensive end to the mix.
Chicago Bears Trying to Bolster Defense
After giving up 42 points to the Cincinnati Bengals, who employ a 41-year-old Joe Flacco as the quarterback, it was hard to dismiss the defensive concerns about Chicago. Ranked 29th on PFSN’s Defense Impact, they have been outright disappointing for most of the season.
But, at the deadline, with a playoff spot hanging in the balance for the eighth-seed in the NFC, the Bears decided to send a sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a seventh-round pick and the services of Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
As Spotrac confirmed the deal on X, “#NFL TRADE#Bears Acquire ED Joe Tryon-Shoyinka ($585k), 2026 7th Rd Pick#Browns Acquire 2026 6th Rd Pick. The Bears get much-needed help on the edge for a late-round pick swap.”
The game against Cincinnati, though, was especially brutal for the Chicago defense in more ways than one. It also resulted in an Achilles injury for Dayo Odeyingbo, which will keep him out for the rest of the season.
With the secondary in shambles already, thanks to injuries, additional blows to the defensive line were only going to make sustaining any kind of consistency on defense that much harder.
As a result, adding Shoyinka could be a very smart move for the franchise. A first-round pick in 2021, he hasn’t been able to find a consistent home in the league, spending four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before they decided to part ways with him this offseason.
He landed on the Browns, where he was ineffective, especially as the backup to superstar edge rusher Myles Garrett. But with 15 sacks in 74 career games, there is a possibility that a move to the Bears unlocks his true potential.
As a former first-round pick, he has the pedigree of a superstar attached to him. So far, that hasn’t translated to success in the NFL. But the Bears will be hoping that he can have a career renaissance with them.
Given the price for the move, it might turn out to be one of the smartest moves of the entire deadline.