As if the Vikings’ schedule wasn’t already hard enough, the Chicago Bears are reportedly acquiring superstar defensive end Khalil Mack in a trade with the Oakland Raiders.
The Bears are likely giving up a ton of assets to get Mack, but his arrival in the Windy City immediately improves Chicago’s chances on a week-to-week basis, and it’s certainly bad news for Kirk Cousins, Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford.
Before the end of the day, the #Bears are expected to negotiate a long-term deal with Khalil Mack that should eclipse the deal for Aaron Donald. Either way, Chicago just made a huge move.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 1, 2018
Mack has been in the top 20 of NFL Network’s Top 100 Players list three years in a row and was the 2016 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has 40.5 sacks in just four years.
Mack typically lines up on the left side of the defensive line, meaning he’ll be staring down Minnesota’s right tackle when the Vikings and Bears meet in Chicago in Week 11 (Nov. 18) and again in the last week of the regular season in Minneapolis (Dec. 30).
That’s especially concerning because the Vikings have yet to announce who their starting right tackle will be, but either way, if it’s Rashod Hill or rookie Brian O’Neill, it could be trouble.
Chicago had a top 10 defense without Mack last season, meaning the addition of Mack could legitimately turn their defense into one of the best in the NFL in a hurry.
The Bears defensive core now includes:
* Khalil Mack
* Roquan Smith
* Akiem Hicks
* Leonard Floyd
* Kyle Fuller
* Adrian Amos
* Eddie Jackson
* Danny Trevathan
That works.— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 1, 2018
The Bears still have a ton of questions on offense, starting with second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky, but they’re certainly a lot better today than they were on Friday.
