Grading the Trade: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

As mentioned on Monday, the Chicago Bears have put themselves in a position to make deals at the deadline, as they remain very much alive in the NFC North race. After losing Dayo Odeyingbo for the season with a ruptured Achilles on Sunday, the pressure was on for the Bears to make a move and address their pass-rushing situation.

That has been a massive need for this team for several seasons and even with Austin Booker returning to the lineup for the first time this season against the Bengals and making an immediate impact, the loss of Odeyingbo is going to be huge for this team as he was supposed to the one guy to take the pressure off Montez Sweat, but through eight games his first season in Chicago hasn't been what anyone expected.

After reports surfaced that the Bears were not only looking to make moves but were potentially on the verge of being one of the more aggressive teams come the deadline, many fans wondered if that was just smoke and mirrors, as several big-name players went off the market.

Although not the most significant move, Chicago did make a trade, and it was a move that was expected as the Bears and Cleveland Browns reached an agreement to trade Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a draft pick to Chicago in exchange for a late-round pick. This may not be the splash that many fans were hoping for, but it's a solid pickup nonetheless, and one that addresses one of their biggest areas of need.

Listed as an outside linebacker, the 6-5, 260-pounder has made the transition to the Edge rush position, which is where he will fit in with the Bears. The 26-year-old was a former first-round pick in 2021, taken 32nd overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that season. Since then, he has spent time with both the Buccaneers and the Browns, playing in 74 games (45 starts).

Most of his time came with the Buccaneers, as 66 of his 74 games came with Tampa, as this was his first year in a Browns uniform. Although he may not have the eye-popping numbers you look for from an Edge player, Tryon-Shoyinka has still put up some solid numbers and has accumulated 15 sacks, 147 tackles (92 solo), 21 tackles-for-loss, and 36 quarterback hits in his five seasons.

This season has seen Shoyinka limited to just five tackles across eight games as things have been a struggle for him in Cleveland. After back-to-back four-sack seasons in 2021 and 2022, his best season came in 2023 when he logged a career best 45 tackles to go with five sacks. Again, not eye-popping numbers, but for a team that needs pass-rushing help in the worst way, he, at the very least, can give them that.

What stands out about this move is the overall return the Bears were forced to give up as they unloaded a sixth-rounder to Cleveland to get the deal done. That is next to nothing in today's world, and with the Bears also getting a seventh-rounder back, this deal works out for both parties as the Bears addressed an area of need while the Browns added another future asset to help their team.

Grade B-: Anytime a trade is made, you are instantly going to dissect the trade as you try to figure out who won this deal. When it comes to grading this trade, you have to give Ryan Poles a B-, as it was a deal that needed to be done to address a need, but there were a few better options available.

Shoyinka isn't at the same caliber as most of the other Edge players on the block, but he does have more experience than Booker, which alone will come in handy. Booker is still expected to start, but adding Shoyinka as a depth piece behind him does make the Bears' defense better.

What saved the overall grade for this trade and made it better is knowing that all it took to get a deal done was to trade a sixth-round pick. Day three picks are a dime a dozen, so if you can get a quality NFL player for a day three pick, you have to make the move.