We are only three weeks into the 2026 season and trade buzz is already starting to circulate, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears being dubbed as possible trade partners.
It's pretty early in the season to start talking about trades, but as we saw with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday night, deals can happen at this time of the year.
Knowing that, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox is throwing some ideas out there and one of them includes a hypothetical trade between the Bears and Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (91) on the line of scrimmage against the Denver Broncos during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Knox pegs Chiefs edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah as a trade candidate and believes the Bears could be an ideal landing spot.
Knox's reason behind believing Anudike-Uzomah could be moved? A good old change of scenery.
"Anudike-Uzomah would be well-served to land with another playoff-caliber team that can give him a prominent rotational role and a clearer path to a long-term role than he'll find in Kansas City." Knox explained. "While the Kansas State product has started all three games this season, he has played just 47 percent of the defensive snaps and has logged just two tackles and a sack. It seems like only a matter of time before rookie second-round pick R Mason Thomas becomes the primary complement to George Karlaftis on the edge."
"Ideal Landing Spots: Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears," Knox added.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (91) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
While it's true Anudike-Uzomah has only played 47% of the snaps this season, he's actually on pace to play a career-high number of snaps after seeing just 20% and 31% of snaps the past two years. He's also one of the team's starters along the edge, so it's not like he's irrelevant in Kansas City's defense.
It's hard to fathom the Chiefs shorteneing their edge rushers room by unloading Anudike-Uzomah and leaving such an important role to a rookie like Thomas, especially with the Chiefs boasting a 3-0 record.
Chicago Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (55) looks on during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Going into the season, we would have welcomed just about any addition for the Bears' edge rushers room given the uncertainty surrounding Dayo Odeyingbo and Austin Booker.
However, the Bears' pass-rush has actually been pretty solid over the first three games, with Odeyingbo in particular shining with his two sacks and 11 pressures, both of which are already more than what he tallied in eight games last season.
Booker has played fairly well with five pressures and one sack, and Montez Sweat has chipped-in two sacks and nine pressures, according to Pro Football Focus .
In all, the Bears have seven sacks, tied for the 12th most in the NFL.
Adding to all that, Anudike-Uzomah isn't exactly someone who can provide the game-changing upgrade Chicago should still be open to adding. After all, he has just one sack this season and his top sacks total for his career is 2.5, which came in 2025.
At this point, adding a rotational edge rusher isn't something the Bears need to do. If anything, Chicago should be looking for a more established player with a better history of production.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/bears/onsi as Bears and Chiefs Considered Possible Trade Partners For Change of Scenery Deal .
