Windy City Gridiron
It’s the 10-year anniversary of the trade that sent Brandon Marshall to the Jets.
The Chicago Bears have had a rough decade, making the playoffs just twice since 2010, despite regularly picking high in the NFL Draft. Near the beginning of the 2012s, they had some stronger years, including the 2011 season when they narrowly missed out on a playoff spot with a 10-6 record, but things have wavered, especially recently, for the franchise.
Looking back at that 2012 campaign, the Bears made a big push to try and remain a perennial playoff contender, trading for wide receiver Brandon Marshall from the Miami Dolphins ahead of his age-28 season.
Marshall would spend three seasons with the Bears, initially forming a strong connection with quarterback Jay Cutler, before later being traded to the New York Jets.
It’s been 10 years since Marhsall was traded by the Bears, so let’s revisit those two trades and see how they panned out for the Bears during one of their better seasons in recent memory.
Marshall was a star upon arriving in Chicago and maintained his production with the Bears. After eclipsing 1,000 yards in five straight seasons, Marshall had 1,508 yards and 1,295 yards in his first two years in Chicago.
That notched him two Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro selection, which was the first of his career. He did struggle more in his third season with the Bears, catching 61 passes for 721 yards in 13 games in 2014 before being traded to the New York Jets.
Looking at the first trade, the Dolphins received two third-round picks in consecutive years. The 2012 third-rounder was used in a trade back, getting Miami two picks: a third-rounder pick (used to take tight end Michael Egnew) and a sixth-rounder (used to take wide receiver B.J. Cunningham).
Miami made a flurry of moves with the 2013 third-rounder they got. They first moved back with the New Orleans Saints for a pair of fourth-round picks. They then moved back into the third round to take cornerback Will Davis with one of those picks, while taking tight end Dion Sims with the fourth-rounder they kept.
The Dolphins didn’t get much production from any of the players they drafted from the Marshall trade. Michael Egnew spent just two seasons in Miami, catching seven total passes before being waived and bouncing around a couple of practice squads. Additionally, B.J. Cunningham spent only one season with the Dolphins.
From the 2013 draft, Will Davis struggled to see the field, getting waived...
