For the fourth year in a row under general manager Ryan Poles, the Chicago Bears made a deal at the trade deadline. The Bears acquired defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Cleveland Browns, along with a seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a sixth-round pick on Tuesday.
Tryon-Shoyinka isn’t the splashy name some fans expected to see, but he does provide depth at a position that has been decimated by injuries. The Bears lost defensive ends Dayo Odeyingbo (Achilles) and Shemar Turner (knee) over the past two weeks, and they needed players to fill in the holes. Tryon-Shoyinka spent the first four years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. In four years with the Buccaneers, he totaled 15 sacks and 21 tackles for loss.
The Bears needed another body on the defensive line and will see what they can get out of Tryon-Shoyinka over the final nine games of the season. Here is our initial grade of the trade:
Trade details
Initial grade: C
While fans wanted to see a splashy trade that could turn the Bears from playoff contenders to Super Bowl contenders, those deals always sound better in theory than they are in actuality. We all remember the Chase Claypool trade that sent the top pick in the second round to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for an underperforming talent who people believed just needed a change of scenery. Even the Montez Sweat trade, while effective, was costly in both money and capital. So the fact the Bears landed a former first-round edge rusher who has shown flashes of solid play throughout his career for a late pick swap is completely fine. It’s not great, not terrible, and it fills an immediate need.
Tryon-Shoyinka is a name Bears fans probably haven’t heard about since 2023, when he wrecked Chicago’s offensive line while a member of the Buccaneers. Though he was an overall disappointment with the Buccaneers, Tyron-Shoyinka had productive moments and can still be a rotational edge rusher. He totaled 13 sacks, 31 QB hits, and 18 tackles for loss during his first three years in the league. It just didn’t work out for Tryon-Shoyinka in Cleveland, where he played just 31 defensive snaps playing behind Myles Garrett and Isaiah McGuire. Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen also knows him fairly well, having gone against him multiple times a year during his coaching days with the New Orleans Saints. Tyron-Shoyinka fits the type of player Allen looks for as a bigger body, too.
Tryon-Shoyinka isn’t a player who can fill Odeyingbo’s spot as a starting-caliber defensive lineman, and depending on your confidence in Austin Booker, they still may not have a quality starter opposite Montez Sweat. But they needed bodies and weren’t going to overpay for an underwhelming player like Jermaine Johnson. For what they gave up, it’s a fine move. We’ll see if the Bears opt to sign another veteran on the street to add another body, though.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Grading the Bears’ trade for DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
Reporting by Brendan Sugrue, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
