The Chicago Bears may consider a Matt Forte trade at the NFL trading deadline and while a deal is unlikely, teams likely will be targeting the running back in November. The Bears have Alshon Jeffery back and he remains the best fantasy football start option in Week 8 for Jay Cutler, while rookie Kevin White is not close to a return.
Jeffery made his return in Week 6 after dealing with a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 of the season and he made an immediate impact for the Bears. Jeffery had eight catches for 147 yards and one touchdown against the Lions and moving forward the Bears are hoping that he can stay healthy. Forte has put up great numbers this season and according to CBS Sports, while the Bears are not actively shopping the running back, the team is "not averse" to making a deal if the price is right.
The team likes Forte and his production, but with the running back getting to the age of 30 by next year, the team may not want to invest major money in an aging player. 30 is when most running backs start to slow down a little and with Forte getting worked so much over the past few years, the Bears could be wary of giving him another long term deal. Forte fits the bill for a trade target for teams, as he is in the final year of his contract and the Bears have struggled this season.
Cutler was mentioned in trade rumors in the offseason, but there has not been much movement on a deal for this year. During the offseason the Titans and Texans have were mentioned as potential landing spots for Cutler, but Marcus Mariota is in Tennessee so that is off the table. The Texans have been a mess and the Bears have not shown a willingness to try and deal Cutler this season. Last year Cutler had a good year stats wise, but overall the team struggled. Cutler passed for over 3818 yards and had 28 touchdowns and completed 66 percent of his passes, both of which were career highs.
Cutler had 18 interceptions and had six lost fumbles last season and the team finished 5-11 and in most games they did not look good on offense. This was very disappointing for a number of reasons, including that former head coach Marc Trestman was considered an offensive minded coach. The Bears also have disappointed in the performance overall this season, as they have a losing record and have some elite talent with Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery and Martellus Bennett.
The Bears drafted rookie Kevin White this year and he has been out with a shin injury and is not close to returning. According Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, White said that he has a "ways to go" to come back and that he has started jobbing, but has not done much else. White said he is not giving up on a return this season, but Pro Football Talk reports that it's unlikely that he will be able to come back in time. The Bears are 2-4 this season.