Jimmy Johnson had a great line about how he built the Dallas Cowboys dynasty. He said, “The way this league works, if we just take our picks as they fall, it’s going to be a long time before we get good.” That was the overriding motivation behind the frantic number of trades his team made from 1989 through 1992 that transformed it into a juggernaut. It’s also why the Chicago Bears should be considered a prime team to do the same in 2017.
GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox aren’t fools. They know the score. After going 6-10 in 2015 and 3-13 this past season, the pressure is mounting for them to take a big step forward this coming year. Letting things fall where they do, both in free agency and the draft doesn’t feel like a winning strategy at this point.
That means the Bears have to start getting aggressive in their pursuit of talent. Often a favorite way of doing that is through trades, namely in the NFL draft. Last year they traded up to grab Leonard Floyd at #9. Early signs hint that was a good decision. Could this team do some more maneuvering? Yes, and here are some ideas that make sense.
