The Chicago Bears aren’t a team that many consider to be buyers ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline on Nov. 1. After all, this team isn’t in the business of winning this season.
But this season is about development, including hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields. Fields doesn’t have a solid supporting cast with a struggling offensive line and underwhelming receiving corp.
So if there’s an opportunity for GM Ryan Poles to improve the offense — looking to the future — you’d expect him to at least explore the possibility.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine proposed a hypothetical trade where the Bears land a veteran wideout in the Patriots’ Kendrick Bourne, who’s hit a bit of a slump coming off an impressive 2021 season.
Adding a veteran receiver who can be a reliable target in the intermediate areas of the field would go a long way in figuring out what Fields can do with a supporting cast.
Kendrick Bourne fits that description, and based on his usage this season, he could be available. Even in a 38-15 blowout win in Week 6, Bourne saw just one target for 17 yards.
On the season, Bourne has seen just 14 targets. For a player who had 55 catches for 800 yards last season, he’s become expendable. While he’s fallen out of favor in New England, he could be Fields’ favorite target outside of Darnell Mooney in Chicago.
There have been a number of teams who have already called New England about a possible trade for Bourne, according to ESPN. It sounds like the Patriots intend to keep him, but “teams have a few weeks to change their minds,” per Jeremy Fowler.
The only team mentioned as a possible trade partner was the Las Vegas Raiders, so there’s no telling if the Bears were among the inquiring teams.
If this were to pass, it wouldn’t be the first trade between the Bears and Patriots this year. Chicago recently traded a 2024 seventh-round pick for former Pats wideout N’Keal Harry this offseason.
