Sports broadcaster Colin Cowherd urged the Chicago Bears to take bold action to improve their defense and lineup. After significant roster activity this week, the team is overhauling its lineup.
Starting center Drew Dalman shocked the team by retiring from the NFL at just 27. His departure forced Bears General Manager Ryan Poles to quickly adjust his strategy ahead of free agency negotiations. Adding to the shakeup, the team traded wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills for a second-round pick.
Many analysts say the Bears could pursue Raiders defensive standout Maxx Crosby to fill a major defensive need. Crosby has emerged as one of the NFL’s most talked-about trade candidates this offseason.
Despite interest from several teams, the 28-year-old is not a free agent and remains under contract with the Raiders. He signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension in March 2025, keeping him under contract until 2029. It made him one of the league’s highest-paid non-quarterbacks. The All-Pro defensive end has spent his entire career with the Raiders since being drafted in 2019.
Crosby remained one of the NFL’s most productive defensive players despite the Raiders finishing with a 3–14 record last season. He recorded 10 sacks, 73 tackles, and 28 tackles for loss. He also had two fumbles and an interception in 15 games. Those performances earned him his fifth straight Pro Bowl nod, despite a knee injury sidelining him late in the season.
Being benched for the final two games of the season reportedly sparked tensions between Crosby and the Raiders. He strongly opposed the move, insisting he was physically capable of finishing the regular season. According to CBS Sports, Crosby’s relationship with the team is strained. Multiple teams, including Chicago, are reportedly interested in him if he becomes available.
Colin Cowherd urges Chicago Bears to pursue Maxx Crosby trade amid roster needs
Cowherd called on the Bears to pursue a trade for Crosby. Speaking on his program “The Herd,” he argued that the team’s current lineup situation makes the move both urgent and logical.
“Go for it. Ben Johnson’s an aggressive guy. Ryan Poles is an aggressive GM. Go for it,” Cowherd said. “It’s the number one need: edge pressure. It’s not a roll of the dice.”
The veteran sports broadcaster called it a rare opportunity for an elite talent to become available.
“He’s an elite player,” he said. “[He] leads the NFL since he entered in tackles for losses. He’s two years younger than Myles Garrett, who was just the defensive player of the year… You have to strike when the iron is hot.”
Cowherd noted that Dalman’s sudden loss shows how quickly an NFL lineup can fall apart. He added that Chicago must make the most of the final two years of quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie contract before his salary rises.
“Dalman, who they just paid a fortune to last year, retired. At 27, he’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m done.’ Interior O-lineman beat you up physically. I’m done,” Cowherd said. “And so the Bears with Caleb Williams were the number one pass-blocking unit and the number seven run-blocking unit, and anchoring that was this great center from the Falcons that they made a deal for a year ago, Drew Dalman. He just retired. And so you only got two years left with Caleb Williams on the rookie deal. He’s going to get expensive real quick.”
“Ben Johnson is an aggressive guy. Ryan Poles is an aggressive GM. Go for it… It’s not a roll of the dice, he’s an elite player.”@colincowherd think the Bears should go all-in and trade for Maxx Crosby pic.twitter.com/qn5VLN8S6r
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) March 4, 2026
Bears to look to opposing teams’ moves for inspiration
Cowherd also drew parallels to other NFL teams that took passive or aggressive approaches to roster decisions. He suggested those examples could serve as a blueprint for the Bears.
“Cincinnati Bengals let (their star defensive end) Trey Hendrickson walk. Well, they’ve been talking about a new contract for two years. They don’t sign him, they’re passive,” he said.
“The (Los Angeles) Rams just did it,” he continued. “Rams said, ‘Listen, we need one element to our roster. We’re close, but we gotta get an elite corner.’ There were some good corners in the first round of the draft, they’re like ‘Nah, let them, let’s go get (All-Pro cornerback Trent) McDuffie’.”
The broadcaster noted that Crosby’s admiration for Johnson could make the trade easier to finalize.
“By the way, here’s Maxx Crosby, who apparently loves Bears coach Ben Johnson,” Cowherd said. After watching a short video of Crosby in an interview, saying that he respects Johnson “a lot,” he added: “Yeah, it sounds like he’s just planting a seed for the Chicago Bears.”
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