Chicago Bears: 5 Reasons to Trade for Osi Umenyiora

Osi Umenyiora has decided that he has had enough with the New York Giants organization and that it is time to move on.

The Giants have agreed and are allowing Umenyiora's agent to shop around the NFL to look for a deal.

Umenyiora finished tied for seventh in the NFL in sacks in 2010, finishing with 11.5 and would, no doubt, be an upgrade over Israel Idonije for the Bears.

It is speculated that Osi would cost a first round draft pick to pry away from the Giants, but since no trade has been worked, New York may have lowered their price.

This list will cover why the Chicago Bears need to trade for Osi Umenyiora and why they would be a better team for it.

The Bears Should Take Advantage of Julies Peppers' Dominance at Defensive End

The Chicago Bears made a fantastic signing when they added Julius Peppers to their roster last offseason.

He changed their defensive line from good to great and without him, there is no way the Bears make the NFC title game last season.

One side of the line is locked up by Peppers demanding double teams, making freakish interceptions, forcing fumbles and sacking the quarterback, while the other side is played by Isreal Idonije. Don't get me wrong, I love Izzy Idonije, and he had a very productive season last year, but the Bears could do better.

Trading for Osi Umenyiora, a Pro Bowl defensive end, would upgrade the Bears line that much more. Umenyoira had 11.5 sacks last year playing next to Justin Tuck, a very good defensive end. Imagine what he could do opposite Julius Peppers, a potential Hall of Famer?

Bringing in Osi could allow Idonije to move inside or just come off the bench as a third defensive end, adding a ton of depth to the line.

The Bears signing Julius Peppers and deciding not to put much talent around him is like buying an Italian sports car with no engine. Peppers makes this line great, the addition of Osi Umenyiora would make it the best in the league.

The Bears Need to Add Depth to Their Aging Defense

While the Chicago Bears have infused some youth into their veteran defense, they are still old and are going to need extra depth in case of injuries.

Osi Umenyiora provides a huge talent upgrade and would allow the Bears to move some pieces around, giving them one of the deepest defenses in the NFL.

At this point if, god forbid, Julius Peppers had to miss a few weeks with an injury the Bears line would be in trouble.

Peppers does so much for that defensive front that it would be stupid not to have someone who at least draws the offenses' attention backing him up.

Osi Umenyiora makes this team deeper and a much, much better defense overall.

The Chicago Bears Draft History

So we have pretty much decided that Osi Umenyiora is worthy of a trade and that the Chicago Bears could really use his services. It's now time to look into what we would have to give up.

I'm in the camp of trading anything but a first-round pick, which seems like a realistic amount to pay. I would however give up a second-round pick for Osi and never look back.

It may take a little more to get him (perhaps a second and a six) but I still think the Bears should pull the trigger on such a deal for a few reasons.

Jerry Angelo doesn't draft very well in the first two rounds. As Bears fans we have learned that Jerry Angelo is a great late-round talent evaluator and seems to always finds steals near the end of the draft.

Angelo is also extremely inconsistent with first and second round draft selections and should not be trusted with them.

Angelo has hit on picks like Devin Hester, Matt Forte, Tommie Harris in the first two rounds, but also missed on the likes of Dan Bazuin, Michael Haynes, Chris Williams (who we can call a bust), Mark Bradley and Roe Williams.

This explains that Jerry's first and second-round picks are inconsistent and we almost never seem to know what we are going to get with them.

We know what we will be getting with Osi Umeyoira so why not trade a second-round pick for him and pretend we drafted him.

He has some risks, there is no doubt about that (Osi missed the entire 2008 season with a major injury) but far less risk than there is in a normal Jerry Angelo second-round pick. We've seen what Osi can do on the field, and he is well worth a second rounder. 

The Talented NFC North

The Chicago Bears haven't done much this offseason to improve their team other than making a handful of high-risk signings that could end badly. The NFC North is shaping into one of the best divisions in the league and if the Bears stand pat the entire offseason, they are in trouble.

The Green Bay Packers are coming off a Super Bowl win and look to be headed for a decade of dominance.

The Minnesota Vikings are a greatly improved team with the addition of Donovan McNabb and could easily bounce back from their disappointing 2010 campaign.

The Detroit Lions look to be a young team on the rise, ready to make some noise in the NFL.

The Bears have done little to improve, which is the wrong strategy after a season of getting a lot of breaks last year.

The Bears seemed to play a third-string quarterback every other week and got a few calls to go their way that won them a game or two.

The Bears front office can't be satisfied with the way things have gone this offseason, and if they are, we are in trouble.

This team can't simply assume they will get back to the NFC title game without adding any talent or new additions to the roster other than some rookies and washed up veterans. Osi Umenyiora would be that addition that would improve the team turn this offseason into something other than a total waste. 

Think of '85

As Chicago Bears fans, we highly romanticize the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears and their defense.

While we may do this too much and exaggerate how dominant the team was as only a Super Fan could, we should look at some of the reasons they were successful.

The Bears had a dominating defensive line that was easily one of the best in NFL history.

Richard Dent and Dan Hampton controlled the line of scrimmage in route to an amazing season and a Super Bowl win.

Defensive line dominance can carry a team to the Super Bowl, and with a move to acquire Osi Umenyiora, the Bears can turn into a Super Bowl-caliber defense.