The start of the regular season is fast approaching and the Chicago Bears still have significant concerns on defense.After failing to adequately address edge rusher and the interior of the defensive line, the Bears are staring down the barrel of having the same major issues upfront they had in 2025.Chicago finished bottom-seven in sacks, second-to-last in pass-rush win rate and sported the sixth-worst run defense and seventh-worst run-stop win rate in the NFL last season — and there is currently no reason to suggest those issues will get better in 2026.But it's not too late to make a significant trade if the Bears have the appetite for one. Here's a look at three players Chicago should be keeping an eye on the rest of this offseason.Maxx CrosbyLas Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Bears at least checked in on Crosby back in March when he was available. The Baltimore Ravens ultimately outbid the Dallas Cowboys before nixing the trade because of Crosby's physical.The belief has been that a Crosby trade is now off the table after he re-committed to Las Vegas, but The California Post's Vincent Bonsignore noted that there is still a chance the five-time Pro Bowler gets dealt.“This is not some unrealistic pipe dream, either,” he said while discussing a possible Raiders-49ers swap before the start of the season. “The same reasons that the Raiders traded Crosby to the Ravens in March are still in place.”Crosby will have to prove he's all the way back from his knee issue in training camp before teams will be willing to commit what it would take to trade for him, which would likely be two picks, including a first-rounder, and a good young player.But if Crosby is able to do that and the Raiders are willing to send him packing like they were in March, the Bears should pounce on someone who would instantly upgrade their edge rushers room and defense as a whole.Vita VeaTampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectVea is in the final year of his contract and is looking for a new deal, and so much so that he held in during minicamp and is now a candidate to hold out at training camp.NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that Vea and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not close to a new deal, and Tampa Bay is in no rush to get something done, either.It's hard to imagine the Bucs will have any interest in trading the two-time Pro Bowler because of how important he is, but if the sides remain in a stand-off, it's at least possible the defensive lineman gets dealt.Vea would be exactly what the doctor ordered for Chicago. Not only is he a top-notch run defender and better than anyone the Bears have in that area upfront, the 31-year-old is also a plus pass-rusher.Vea would be expensive, as he'll probably cost a Day 2 pick on top of needing a new deal, but all of that would be a worthwhile investment for the win-now Bears.Josh SweatArizona Cardinals linebacker Josh Sweat. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe next best thing to a Crosby trade would be acquiring Sweat, who is reportedly unhappy in Arizona. A recent report suggests Arizona won't trade him, but we know better than to completely rule anything out in the NFL.Part of that is because of the unpredictability of the league, but also because it simply makes sense for the Cardinals to trade Sweat.Arizona is in the first year of a rebuild and it's going to take at least a few years to turn things around. Sweat will have crossed over 30 years old by the time the Cardinals even have a chance to be competitive again and his stock could diminish.With Sweat coming off a career-best year in which he tallied 12 sacks, now is the time for Arizona to move him, with the likely return being a Day 2 pick.With his 55 career sacks, Sweat would add the much-needed proven edge rusher opposite Montez Sweat the Bears need and would give Chicago one of the most formidable duos in the NFL.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow