4 Bears takeaways after blockbuster Micah Parsons trade to Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers stunned the NFL world on Thursday afternoon when they completed a blockbuster trade for 4-time Pro Bowler, 3-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons. This move is eerily similar to the Khalil Mack trade the Chicago Bears pulled off seven years ago almost to the day.

A trade of this magnitude is a watershed moment for the NFC North. The Bears saw their NFC North title odds tumble immediately following this trade while the Packers leapt to the top. Simply put, the Packers landing Parsons is a nightmare scenario for Bears fans, but it's not all bad news. In fact, there's some silver linings to celebrate. Here are four takeaways from this deal for Bears fans.

1. The Bears' pass rush is by far the worst in the division

Before this trade, it could be argued that Chicago and Green Bay were tied for the worst group of defensive ends in the division. Rashan Gary and Montez Sweat are about equal, and neither team had much depth. With Parsons in green and yellow now, the Packers are now far above Chicago with their pass rush.

In fact, Chicago is now the only team in the NFC North without an elite pass rusher on the edge, and that's going to be a huge problem in every divisional game this year.

2. Chicago's question marks at left tackle are going to be exposed

Braxton Jones seems to have "won" the starting job at left tackle, mostly by default. As the weak link, you can bet that Green Bay will line Parsons up across from Jones (or whoever is the left tackle by that point in the season) on every snap, and Chicago's upgrades at every other offensive line position won't matter.

Hopefully, quarterback Caleb Williams has learned how to get rid of the ball quickly because he's likely to be under constant fire from his left side in every Packers game for the forseeable future.

3. Running the ball against Green Bay will be paramount

Here's one of those silver linings for Bears fans. While Parsons is a pass rush nightmare, he's not great against the run. Additionally, Green Bay sent defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas as part of the trade for Parsons, removing a massive presence in the middle of their line.