The Chicago Bears have an opportunity to acquire an upgrade for their backfield amid trade rumblings about Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. They might also have a veteran who can help them seal the deal.
Earlier this week, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported that the Commanders have been shopping around Robinson on the trade market amid uncertainty about his future with the team. Schultz’s report followed another from Commanders beat writer Ben Standig, who wrote on August 17 that Robinson appears “unlikely” to make the 53-man roster.
Since then, the Commanders have indicated they are serious about moving Robinson, holding him out of their second preseason game in what NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo described as a “mutual decision” as they navigate their available trade options with him.
In light of Robinson’s availability, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton has proposed a trade in which the Bears would acquire the fourth-year running back from the Commanders in exchange for veteran offensive lineman Ryan Bates and a 2026 fourth-round pick.
“Robinson can add insurance and fill gaps in the Bears’ backfield rotation,” Moton wrote on August 18. “In return for Robinson, the Commanders should inquire about Bates, who was acquired by the Bears before they hired Johnson and his coaching staff. The versatile interior offensive lineman could start at left guard over Brandon Coleman, who’s moving inside from left tackle.”
Is Brian Robinson Jr. Worth Pick & Player for Bears?
Robinson is a quality runner who would inject more power into the Bears’ backfield for the 2025 season, but is he worth the trade price that Moton has proposed they pay?
Let’s start with Bates. The Bears acquired Bates, a versatile interior offensive lineman, and his $17 million contract in a trade with the Buffalo Bills during the 2024 offseason, hoping that he would win a starting role with them. Instead, an injury that forced him to consider NFL retirement kept him off the field for his entire first season in Chicago.
Now, Bates projects to hold a top backup role for the Bears at all three interior positions after rebuilding their line in the 2025 offseason, which makes him more expendable.
That said, the Bears never got much of a chance to see what Bates could offer them in 2024 and might prefer to hold onto his valuable and versatile depth, as their next-best backup options include Doug Kramer Jr. and sixth-round rookie Luke Newman.
A fourth-round pick is also rich for a player entering the final year of his contract. The Bears might be willing to part ways with such high compensation if they believed they would sign Robinson to an extension in the immediate-to-near future. But given how things have fallen apart for him in Washington, he could prove to be a one-year rental.
That’s not to say the Bears shouldn’t pursue Robinson and his 2,900 career all-purpose yards as a complement for D’Andre Swift in their backfield, but they should offer much lower compensation — a 2026 sixth-rounder, at a maximum — to secure his services.
Could Bears Target Another RB During Roster Cuts?
The Bears might not want to pay out the wazoo for a running back in a trade, but they could find more help for their backfield during next week’s 53-man roster cutdown.
Throughout camp, the Bears have largely stood behind their current backfield, adding help only when injuries impacted the availability of their depth pieces. With less than a week until the cutdown deadline, though, Chicago remains beaten up at the position.
Roschon Johnson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, is still sidelined with a foot injury that has held him out of both of the Bears’ first two preseason games. Seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai also sat out last Sunday’s second preseason game with an undisclosed injury, leaving the Bears with Ian Wheeler and Travis Homer as their best available backups.
If the Bears are not confident that Johnson and/or Monangai will return in time for the start of the season, they could scour the market for a viable option during the cutdown.
The Denver Broncos could cast off a few running backs with J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey atop their depth chart. The Broncos are probably not ready to move on from 2024 fifth-round pick Audric Estime just yet, but they might cut Jaleel McLaughlin.
Robinson is also another possibility if the Commanders cannot find a trade partner for him. He has rushed for more than 2,300 yards and scored 20 touchdowns and handled a lead back’s workload during his first three seasons in Washington, but his expiring contract — and the playoff-contending Commanders’ willingness to part ways with him — could sabotage their trade market, especially if they intend to cut him either way.
The NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, August 26.
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