Chicago Bears trade 2024 draft pick for offensive line help

Bears trade for offensive lineman Ryan Bates

The Bears made a deal Monday, but not for Justin Fields.

CHICAGO - The Chicago Bears have added to their offensive line room.

The Bears have agreed to trade a 2024 fifth round pick to the Buffalo Bills for offensive lineman Ryan Bates.

Both the Bills and Bears announced the trade Monday evening. The trade will become official in the new league year on March 13.

Bates has appeared in 73 regular-season games. He started 19 starts through five seasons. He has also played in nine playoff games during Bills tenure, starting four games.

In the 2022 season, Bates started in 15 games. In 2023, he played in all 17 games.

Bates is a Penn State alum and went undrafted in 2019. He originally signed with the Eagles in May and was traded to the Bills in August.

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The Bears originally tried signing Bates back in 2022 when he was a restricted free agent. The Bills matched the Bears' offersheet, keeping Bates in Buffalo.

Now, he joins the Bears ahead of the 2024 free agency period.

Bates is listed as a guard and center, according to his profile with the Buffalo Bills. The Bears have a need at center with Lucas Patrick entering the 2024 season as a free agent.

At the combine, the Bears met with Oregon center Jackson Power-Johnson and West Virginia center Zach Frazier. It only stands to assume the Bears would use a draft pick on a center on the third day of the draft.

With this trade, the Bears now only have draft picks in three rounds: the first round, third round and fourth round.

Chicago traded its second-round selection for Montez Sweat, its sixth-round selection for Dan Feeney and its seventh round selection for wide receiver N'Keal Harry. Harry was on the roster for only the 2022 season.