Leave it to Ryan Poles to start cooking while I make my coffee on Saturday morning.
One day after trading for pass rusher Darrell Taylor, the Chicago Bears general manager made another deal. This time, it’s about reinforcements for the interior defensive line. Brad Biggs of the Tribune has details on the Bears’ deal with the Cleveland Browns for defensive tackle Chris Williams, which is as follows:
As we mentioned yesterday, the Bears started the weekend with three sixth-round picks – one from the Pittsburgh Steelers (which could become a fourth-round pick if quarterback Justin Fields plays 51 percent of the team’s offensive snaps), another from the Miami Dolphins (from the Chase Claypool trade), and their own. One of those was included in the trade to bring in Darrell Taylor. That left the Bears with two more picks. Now Chicago’s football team has just one sixth-round pick left to play with – hopefully it’s Pittsburgh’s.
(UPDATE: It comes from the Chase Claypool trade, according to Dan Wiederer of The Trib)
Who is Chris Williams and why did the Bears sign him?
Williams, 26, began his career as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2020, meaning there is some overlap between him and Matt Eberflus from the Bears’ head coach days as Indy’s defensive coordinator. The Wagner University product has 13 NFL games under his belt but no starts. The Browns signed Williams to their practice squad in December 2023 and gave him a reserve/future contract in January 2024.
There were rumors that the Bears were looking to add defensive tackles on the transfer market. And when Coach Flus mentioned that there was a lack of depth on the interior defensive line, I felt like a move was inevitable. And now it’s happened. I don’t think Williams will displace anyone in the starting lineup, but healthy, capable players in the depth is a good thing.
Ultimately, I like that the Bears are finding creative ways to use these Day 3 picks. Considering how GM Ryan Poles has created ammunition for Day 3 drafts in the past by trading back, I’m not too worried that the team won’t have plenty of ammunition for late-round picks next year. Given the trades currently taking place (both here and around the league), I wonder if the Bears will trade players for future picks before the cut-down deadline hits at 3 p.m. Tuesday. Stay tuned.
