Bears Legend Considered Player to Watch at the Trade Deadline

It wasn't hard to figure out what the biggest issue with the Chicago Bears was last year. 

The injuries in the secondary made it very hard for the Bears to stop teams from passing all over them. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon were definitely missed. 

There was another problem looming over the Bears last year. If you weren't named Montez Sweat, you weren't getting to the quarterback consistently. 

Sweat had one of the best seasons of his career. He recorded 10 sacks, 53 total tackles and 13 TFLs. The problem was that Sweat was the only one who could effectively rush the passer. 

Gervon Dexter was second with six sacks, and Austin Booker had 4.5. Cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson had three. If a cornerback is fourth in sacks on the team, that's not a good sign. 

The Bears as a whole recorded 35 sacks, which was 22nd in the NFL. 

After the season, there were definitely options to help the Bears in that area. There was the Maxx Crosby saga that never came to light. Former Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack was available, but he ultimately re-signed with the Los Angeles Chargers on a one-year, $18 million deal. 

It's clear that Mack wants to keep playing for the near future, so a Bears reunion could still be in the cards at some point. Mack was a person of interest on a recent episode of "The Pat McAfee Show." 

ESPN's Adam Schefter made an appearance and named five players to watch at the trade deadline. Mack was there, along with Marvin Harrison Jr., Tony Pollard, Jerry Jeudy and Josh Sweat. 

Schefter believed that, since Mack is on a one-year deal and the Chargers are 0-4, a trade was likely to happen. 

"You have to look at the teams that haven't been winning," Schefter said. "Teams that are 0-4, like the Chargers. Khalil Mack, last year of his contract. Now, they are not looking to trade Khalil Mack, but as we get closer to the November 10th trade deadline, if those losses are piling up, and there's a team that needs a pass rusher and calls the Chargers on Khalil Mack, whose deal's up after the year, why would you not go send him somewhere if you can get something back for him?" 

The trade deadline is Nov. 10, so if the Bears want to pursue a trade for Mack, they have a little over a month to do so. 

The question is, do the Bears need help on the pass rush right now? 

Chicago had its fair share of issues on the pass rush last year, but things have turned around after four games this year. The Bears have 10 sacks and are eighth in the NFL. 

Dayo Odeyingbo's return from an Achilles tear has been a blessing. Odeyingbo leads the team with three sacks. Sweat and Booker each have two sacks, and Devin Bush has one. 

Even cornerback Malik Muhammad has one sack so far. 

The thing with the Chargers is that they are 0-4 and currently not expected to compete for a playoff spot. It's still early, but that's where they stand for now. 

The Bears are 3-1 and are leading the NFC North. Padding the pass rush is never a bad thing, especially for a team like the Bears that is aiming for a playoff spot. 

This could be a good chance for the Bears to reunite with Mack if they want to.