In a vacuum, the Bears would be better off having wide receiver DJ Moore than missing him, so the salary-cap savings and draft capital they gained Thursday by trading him to the Bills don’t alone give them a win. That depends on what they do with those newly added resources.
There is a long list of possibilities on the table, and Raiders five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Maxx Crosby tops it. If the Moore move proves to be a big step toward making that dream come true, it’s a hit.
The reality for the Bears is that it’ll probably take more maneuvering to make the many upgrades they desire in order to jump from pretty good last season to a -Super Bowl contender next season.
For now, the Moore trade gives them breathing room.
Going into this week, the Bears were slightly over the cap for next season, and the release of linebacker Tremaine Edmunds — which happened late Thursday — would help only a little. Then center Drew Dalman retired suddenly Tuesday, which was a net negative in the sense that the $10 million in cap space they’ll save isn’t enough to pay for a commensurate replacement.
General manager Ryan Poles’ deal with the Bills brought back a second-round pick (No. 60 overall) in the upcoming draft and cleared $16.5 million in cap space. The Bears also sent the Bills a fifth-rounder.
But, at minimum, they still need two starting safeties, a starting linebacker and a starting left tackle. Then they have to consider adding a starting cornerback and making improvements at defensive end, defensive tackle and possibly running back. If the goal is a championship, the Bears can’t settle for simply getting the roster back to the level it was at last season.
That’s why Crosby’s name won’t go away. If it’s time to swing big, there’s no more emphatic way to do it than by landing an A-list star. Not only has Crosby put up 69½ sacks in his seven seasons, sixth-most during that span, but he’s a household name with a magnetic personality.
He’d have to figure out what number he’ll wear because he and Montez Sweat each have No. 98, but Crosby jerseys would outsell everyone but quarterback Caleb Williams next season.
The two issues for the Bears in trading for Crosby are affording his salary and outbidding the many other teams likely interested.
The Raiders reportedly want two first-round picks, and while that seems a bit risky for the Bears at this stage, adding a second-rounder in the Moore trade at least makes it possible. They’d be giving up the No. 25 overall pick this year and what they hope will be a later first-round pick next year.
From there, however, Crosby makes more money than anyone on the Bears. The Raiders signed him to a contract extension just last year that set him up to make an average of $30.3 million through 2029. His cap number for next season is $35.8 million — over $10 million more than Sweat’s.
The Bears can manage that in the short term with a few more moves, but Poles already said he’s preparing for a major contract extension for Williams, who is eligible for one after next season.
While Crosby is a prize, he’s not the only one. The Bears need to put some teeth in their pass rush, for sure, but they could pivot to signing a proven free agent such as Khalil Mack or Trey Hendrickson. Those two are projected to get $20 million or more per season on the open market. That would’ve been too steep for the Bears before offloading Moore’s contract.
Losing Moore created a deficit at wide receiver that the Bears must address, but it began the process of opening up potentially game-changing moves at an ambitious moment for the franchise.
