The Chicago Bears could use more offensive tackle depth for their roster after placing veteran Braxton Jones on injured reserve last week. Could that push them to make a move for insurance before next week’s NFL trade deadline?
The Bears are counting on second-year Theo Benedet to make his fifth straight start at left tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9, but he had a rocky performance against the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday that could begin to shake their faith in him.
Meanwhile, the Bears are almost entirely devoid of backup plans at either tackle spot. Jones is on injured reserve with a knee injury and is not eligible to return until Week 12 at the earliest, leaving second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo as their lone active backup.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon predicted the Bears to pounce on New York Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal before the deadline passes at 4 p.m. ET next Tuesday, arguing that a late-round selection could potentially seal the deal.
“Braxton Jones is on injured reserve, while Theo Benedet has had issues at left tackle,” Gagnon wrote Friday. “Neal at least brings some experience and versatility, and the Bears can hope he gets a jolt in a new location, as the Giants have little reason to keep him around at this point. It’s insurance for a late-round pick at the very least.”
Evan Neal is Worth a Potential Late-Round Flier for Bears
To say Neal has been a disappointment for the Giants would be a huge understatement.
When the Giants took him seventh overall in 2022 — with the pick the Bears traded to them when they moved up for quarterback Justin Fields — they believed they had found a new franchise cornerstone for their offensive line. Instead, they found an inconsistent right tackle with poor technique and slow feet who struggled against top edge rushers.
Over the next three seasons, Neal started in 27 games for the Giants at right tackle and never seemed to settle in as a pass protector. He did make some improvements as a run blocker in 2024, earning an 80.8 grade from Pro Football Focus on the season, but the Giants didn’t see enough to keep him at tackle and moved him to guard to start 2025.
Now, Neal is an expensive backup who has yet to play his first snap of the 2025 season. That’s hardly worth it for the Giants, but a team like the Bears — who have depth issues along their offensive line — could take a half-season flier on him for a late-round price.
Neal is in the final season of his $24.5 million rookie contract, but the Bears wouldn’t even take on half of his $7.8 million cap hit if they acquired him in a trade. Perhaps that would motivate them to ship off a sixth-round pick to the Giants for his services.
Can Bears Survive Without More Help at Offensive Tackle?
Even if a trade for Neal isn’t in the cards, it is fair to wonder whether the Bears might make some addition at offensive tackle in the near future, given their depth concerns.
One bad performance is not enough to write off the fast-rising Benedet as a viable left tackle. He has allowed just one sack and 10 pressures on 161 pass-blocking snaps this season, the majority of which he has played at left tackle. That’s too good for a former undrafted player to yank from the lineup after one bad game — or even a few stinkers.
That said, expecting a rookie (Trapilo) to function as the only backup for both offensive tackles is dangerous. He wasn’t good enough to win the Day 1 starting left tackle job and only saw playing time when Wright was hurt on the right side. Are the Bears confident that he can pick up the slack for one of their starters if an injury hits the position?
That’s an important question for the Bears to answer before the trade deadline, even if the right deal does not materialize. A trade might not suit their short-term interests if they feel Jones can return in late November, but a veteran signing might work better.
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