Go Out and Trade for Dante Fowler

The Bears have a need at pass rusher. With all the moves they made in the offseason, the only thing they did at pass rush was to add an oft-injured Aaron Lynch and hope defensive coordinator revive his career. Well, guess what? Lynch is again injured and hasn’t seen any preseason action. That leaves the team with Sam Acho, a career backup, as the starter. It also has rookie Kylie Fitts (who needs to show he’s over his injury history) as the backup. This is a major hole.

Here is a trade possibility where each team has what the other needs. The Jacksonville Jaguars lost wide receiver Marqise Lee for the season. That opens a hole at that position since the Jaguars hoped Lee could be their top receiver. Bortles needs all the weapons he can have. Lee has good hands and runs routes well. He also stretches the defense.

The Jaguars have Dante Fowler, the number three overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He missed the 2015 season with a knee injury but came back in 2016 and 2017 to have solid, not spectacular seasons. He found himself buried behind Calais Campbell and Yannick Ngakoue so he doesn’t see very many snaps.

Kevin White is on the same boat as Fowler. The Bears thought he’d be one of their best receivers by now, but injuries sidelined him throughout his three seasons in Chicago. He did change his diet and built up his body in the offseason and has had a good training camp and preseason. Like the Jaguars did with Fowler, the Bears didn’t pick up his fifth-year option.

Perhaps swapping two snake-bitten players and giving them fresh starts in new places helps the both of them. The Bears’ receiving corps is much stronger than it has been for years. They are in a situation where they can send White away and even if he plays well in Jacksonville, the Bears still have a good stable of receivers. With Fowler, the Chicago Bears have an instant upgrade and teamed with Leonard Floyd, the Bears would have two athletic pass rushers on either side. That will go a long way to helping the Bears move into an elite, top-five defense.

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Next: Let’s Keep Talking Pass Rush