What move should the Bears make before training camp starts?

The Chicago Bears made several tweaks to their roster in the last few months, with the biggest position group affected being the quarterbacks, but a recent article from ESPN Insider Field Yates suggests the Bears make one final move with their QB room by trading veteran Nick Foles.

The article is titled One last NFL offseason move for all 32 teams, and here’s Yates’ take for Chicago.

The Bears’ future at QB is Justin Fields, with Andy Dalton as the team’s announced 2021 starter for now. Foles is still due a guaranteed salary of $4 million this year, plus another $5 million guaranteed in 2022. Those numbers are too rich for an acquiring team right now, so the Bears will have to get creative to move Foles. That might mean taking on some or most of Foles’ salary this season and potentially attaching a draft pick.

Does that sound ideal? Far from it, but this is about future financial flexibility.

Trading the 31-year old Foles would not only require creativity from the Bears, but it would also require a team desperate enough to take him on.

Right now the market, if you can even call it that, consists on one logical team, the New York Jets.

N.Y. could probably use a veteran to work in the same room as rookie Zach Wilson, but they may not want to deal before seeing how their current back ups, James Morgan and Mike White play in preseason. Neither of those two have ever played in an NFL game, which gives the Jets the most inexperienced QB room in the history of the offseason.

Foles also played poorly a year ago, albeit with an awful collection of offensive linemen in front of him, so it may be in the Bears’ best interest to let him play in a few preseason games to get the stink of 2020 off him.

The “market” could grow if there are some bad preseason reps from the backup quarterbacks in Dallas, Tennessee, or Houston. The Cowboys could want better insurance in case Dak Prescott goes down (like their Andy Dalton move from last year). The Titans feel they are a legit Super Bowl contender, but they have nothing substantial behind Ryan Tannehill. And the Texans’ QB room is shaky anyway without Deshaun Watson.

Even though Foles’ star is dimming, he’s still a viable veteran placeholder that has the experience to run an NFL offense. If a team has a injury or two at quarterback in the next couple months their desperation for a QB could lead to a call to the Bears.

While I think trading Foles is something the Bears should consider, it’s not the one move I think Chicago should make before camp starts. That would be inking Allen Robinson to a long term contract.

The deadline to sign him off his franchise tag is July 15, and it would be smart to get that out of the way. A-Rob is a true pro and I highly doubt the lingering contract status would bother him, but the peace of mind that comes with that extension would be beneficial.

A reliable number one wide receiver is something the Bears are going to want to pair with Justin Fields, so locking one up while Fields is on his rookie contract makes all the sense in the world. A contract extension is not only the best thing for the long term outlook of the franchise but for the short term as well, because a new deal would drop Robinson’s 2021 cap hit and give the Bears some options this season.

More 2021 cap space could lead to a new veteran corner like Steven Nelson, or give them some wiggle room if there are any late camp cuts around the league that fills a need.

What’s the one move you’d like to see the Bears make before camp?