Just about halfway through October, things are changing all around. The leaves are turning colors, it is just now becoming sweatshirt/hoodie weather, and the NFL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. ET to be exact. The Chicago Bears, sitting at 1-5 and last place in the NFC North, are a team that could be ripe for change once again at the deadline given that it looks like a team set to dive into another phase of its rebuild.
Last trade deadline, the team traded Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens and Pro Bowl defensive end Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles. This time around, some of their young defensive backs -- cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Jaquan Brisker -- are uneasy since they understand the reality of their situation while hoping they can stick around the Windy City.
"I'm not oblivious, I'm not blind and I'm not exempt at the end of the day," Johnson said Monday on 670 The Score. "When you trade Roquan away, when you trade Robert Quinn away, man, you can trade anybody away. So, I mean, I'm definitely not exempt. I know what's going on. I know what is to be figured out and different things like that. At the end of the day, the Bears got to do what's best for them and I got to do what's best for me. Whatever happens with that happens. I'm not forcing anything. Like I've been saying from day one, I want to stay here. This is my first team, my home, I bought a house here, everything. All my plans were to stay in Chicago."
Johnson, a 24-year-old second-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, also knows his feelings won't be the first thing that pop into general manager Ryan Poles' head when he assesses the status of the Bears roster over the next two weeks.
"At the end of the day, it's not about feelings. It's not about what I want or any of that. For me, it's just about continuing to go out there and put great film on tape. Whatever happens after that happens. But at the end of the day, nobody is exempt from being traded."
Brisker, a 24-year-old second-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft, had a more impassioned take on the trade deadline, specifically when it came to the potential for Johnson to be dealt.
"I feel like Jaylon and other guys are great players," Brisker said Tuesday on 670 The Score. "They pour a lot into the Chicago Bears, their heart and soul. Especially Jaylon. He's one of the top corners in the league. He has production. He has a lot of production. If you watch the games, (No.) 33 is barely getting the ball thrown to him. He's shutting down one side of the field. I'm being completely honest with you. He's a great teammate, he's a great leader. When he leads, you hear his voice, and you obviously see his play. He's a great technician. He's a great corner, plays with great energy. This year and last year, he showed that he can play the run also. I just feel like he's a great corner. I just see him being a Bear forever. Same with Eddie Jackson. I just see him being a Bear for life. He's been here for seven years, poured his heart and soul, and he's a playmaker."
The second-year pro feels like having long-term defensive continuity could help the Bears rediscover their hard-nosed, defensive identity that has led to a strong run of winning in Chicago, most recently seen in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
"Even back in the day, you see guys like Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, those guys stayed with the Bears forever," Brisker said. "You got to pay those guys the same dues with these guys, too. I feel like we got to go back to the old generation where we have loyalty to the players, we keep players on the same team."
