The Chicago Bears might not love the idea of having All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons in the division with the Green Bay Packers, but they could potentially take advantage of that trade to swing another deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers shook up the league on Thursday when they traded two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for Parsons in a blockbuster.
Afterward, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters in a press conference that he had two criteria when evaluating trade partners: the team needed to have the cap space to pay Parsons the top-of-market extension that he wanted and a “top interior tackle” to send back to Dallas as compensation to help its defense stop the run in 2025.
The Cowboys believe that they have a player now in Clark who fits the bill, despite his down year for the Packers in 2023. He can handle a variety of gap responsibilities and should complement veteran Osa Odighizuwa — who signed a four-year, $80 million extension with the Cowboys this offseason — nicely in Matt Eberflus’ new defense.
If the Cowboys are planning to lead with a rotation of Clark, Odighizuwa and veteran Solomon Thomas in the forthcoming season, though, is there a chance they are willing to trade away former first-round defensive tackle Mazi Smith at a low-cost price?
Because if so, the Bears could certainly be intrigued.
Mazi Smith Could Add Value at Reasonably Low Cost
Smith, the No. 26 overall pick in 2023, has not come anywhere close to living up to his potential for the Cowboys. He has made 20 starts and played 830 defensive snaps over his first two seasons, but he has produced just two sacks, seven tackles for loss and nine quarterback hits and struggled with his inconsistency, particularly as a run defender.
In fact, Smith was so bad against the run in 2024 that Pro Football Focus awarded him the 19th-worst run-defense grade (35.9) out of 220 other eligible interior defenders.
So, why would the Bears want to take a chance on a player like that?
For starters, Smith is still a highly intriguing athlete. He possesses all of the power and physicality that one would expect from his 6-foot-3, 323-pound frame, but he is also deceptively quick both in his pass-rush moves and his ability to close space.
That rare blend of size and athleticism has not yielded the results Smith has wanted in Dallas, but a different coaching staff might have ideas on how to get more from him.
The Bears are also still trying to figure out how their defensive tackle position will look in the long term. Gervon Dexter Sr. is essentially entering a make-or-break third year. Rookie Shemar Turner has promise, but is injured. Andrew Billings is halfway to 31 and is coming off a season-ending injury. How many of them are long-term impact guys?
The Bears may need all season to answer that question, but adding a former first-round talent to the mix to compete for reps can’t hurt — especially if they can get him cheap.
While the Cowboys might have sought as much as a fifth-round pick for Smith before the Parsons trade, a 2026 sixth-rounder alone could seal the deal for Chicago.
Should Bears Target EDGE on Trade Market Instead?
The Bears could well pull off a trade before the start of the regular season next week, but they are probably more likely to target another edge rusher in the coming days than another interior defensive lineman — given the depth issues they are having right now.
While starters Montez Sweat and Dayo Odeyingbo are healthy, the Bears put promising second-year defensive end Austin Booker on injured reserve this week, ensuring that he will miss at least the first four games of the season while he recovers from a knee injury. Without him, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy are the team’s top backups.
Even if the Bears trust Robinson and Hardy, they could seek out more help either in free agency or on the trade market. Veteran Za’Darius Smith is one of the best options left unsigned in free agency after he started eight games for the Detroit Lions in 2024.
The Bears won’t have much time to decide, as they will kick off the new season against the Minnesota Vikings for Monday Night Football at 8 p.m. ET on September 8.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bears Could Trade for Former 1st-Round Pick After Micah Parsons Trade appeared first on Heavy Sports.