Former NFL safety Devin McCourty suggests the Chicago Bears consider trading for New York Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux to bolster their defense after a poor performance against the Panthers. On Sunday’s game, Chicago allowed 59 points and demonstrated significant weaknesses in both pass defense and secondary coverage due to injuries. McCourty notes that Thibodeaux is entering his last year under contract and could be a valuable addition if the Bears can offer an extension or trade package attractive enough for the Giants to part with him.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
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Story summary
Former NFL safety Devin McCourty suggests the Chicago Bears should consider trading for Kayvon Thibodeaux, currently with the New York Giants, to bolster their pass rush and improve their struggling defense. The Bears' defense was particularly weak in a recent 59-37 loss to the Panthers. McCourty believes securing another pass rusher could significantly enhance their defensive capabilities, given the difficulty of finding quality secondary players off the street. He suggests the Bears reach out to the Giants and inquire about Thibodeaux, who is part of a roster that includes notable pass rushers like Abdul Carter and Brian Burns. The proposed deal might involve offering the Giants a draft pick in exchange for Thibodeaux, potentially aiding Chicago's pursuit of an NFC North championship title.
Written for “Bears Trade Rumors” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
The Bears acquired a notable pass rusher midseason three years ago.
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Bears → acquire → rusher
Former NFL safety Devin McCourty believes they should take a stab at a similar deal this year.
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they → believe → deal
After Chicago’s defense provided the resistance of a folding chair in a 59-37 road win over the Panthers on Sunday, McCourty suggested the Bears reach out to a local team stocked with pass rushers.
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Bears → provide → rushers
tRY IT NOW“If you’re going to score a lot of points, then it comes down to your pass defense and your pass defense is impacted by your pass rushers or your cover guys
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defense → try → rushers
,” McCourty said on “Up & Adams” on Tuesday.
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McCourty → say → Tuesday
“To me, I know everybody in New York is excited — you might want to call down to the Giants.
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you → know → Giants
‘Hey, I know you got Abdul Carter, you got Brian Burns, what you thinking about with (Kayvon) Thibodeaux?
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you → know → Thibodeaux
Are you planning on extending him?’
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you → plan → him
Maybe that’s a call they make, you add a pass rusher.”
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you → ’ → rusher
The Bears certainly could use a pass rusher in their quest to repeat as NFC North champions after their defense did its best matador impression Sunday.
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defense → use → impression
Bryce Young is nobody’s idea of a franchise quarterback but Chicago turned him into an MVP, allowing 361 passing yards and 478 total yards.
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Chicago → turn → yards
The Bears are dealing with plenty of injuries, particularly in their secondary, but it will be a tall task to win the NFC without the ability to get the occasional stop — unless you expect 59 points each time out.
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you → deal → points
Three years ago, Chicago acquired Montez Sweat from the Commanders to bolster its pass rush ahead of his free agency and Thibodeaux represents a similar situation.
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Thibodeaux → acquire → situation
Thibodeaux, 25, is in the last year of his contract and he’s the team’s No. 3 pass rusher at best behind Burns and Carter.
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he → ’ → Burns
He played just 27 defensive snaps — 47 percent of the team’s total — in the 28-20 home win over the Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.”
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He → play → Football
Carter and Burns played 91 and 84 percent of the defensive snaps, respectively.
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Carter → play → snaps
Chicago could, in theory, get ahead of the offseason by acquiring him and offering an extension.
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Chicago → get → extension
One potential roadblock would be whether the Giants would be willing to hurt their pass-rush depth after just one game while likely not receiving much — if anything — back to help this year.
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Giants → hurt → much
The Giants need cornerback depth and the Bears don’t have a player to swap, and trading Thibodeaux for a pick could ruffle some feathers following the feel-good vibes after upsetting the Cowboys in John Harbaugh’s debut.
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trading → need → debut
However, if we’re putting on our GM caps, perhaps there’s a deal to be made where the Giants send the Bears Thibodeaux for a draft pick that helps them land disgruntled Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
“To me, it’s very hard to find good secondary play off the street and a lot of teams, they’re not going to just trade away defensive backs that they like,” McCourty said.
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McCourty → put → that
“I think the Giants they might be in the area where you have a surplus and they feel like, ‘Hey, we might be able to give away a guy if you give us something we like.’
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we → think → something
So, maybe they call the Giants and go that route.
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they → call → route
The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 10, following Week 10, allowing both teams plenty of time to see how their season unfolds and what needs they have entering the second half.
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they → follow → half
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