Should the Chiefs try to bring back Marcus Cooper?

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell released an article Thursday outlining 11 sensible midseason NFL trade ideas, and why they make sense. You can read the full piece here.

When it came to the Kansas City Chiefs, Barnwell suggested they trade with the Chicago Bears (Hey, Matt Nagy) for cornerback Marcus Cooper, sending a seventh-round pick to bring the ex-Chief back.

Barnwell: It might be a surprise to some Bears fans that Cooper remains on the team, given that the 28-year-old hasn’t played much since infamously fumbling away a blocked field goal return on the 1-yard line against the Steelers last season. Cooper was benched shortly thereafter and cut from his four-year, $16 million contract after the season, although he re-signed with the Bears on a one-year, $1.5 million deal in March.

Chicago doesn’t have much use for Cooper barring a rash of injuries at cornerback, and while he has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, he was in on just three defensive snaps before going down. Cooper started 11 games for Kansas City between 2013-15, and the Chiefs are the thinnest contender in football at cornerback.

Cooper was a member of the tandem Chiefs play-by-play announcer Mitch Holthus famously called “The Magnificent Seven” back in 2013, when John Dorsey and the Chiefs had the top waiver spot on waiver wire weekend.

As it turns out, the only player member of the seven left on the Chiefs right now is Ron Parker, and he had to leave and come back. I digress.

Cooper played really well for the Chiefs his rookie season, when he recorded three interceptions and 21 passes defensed. But as the Chiefs acquired more talented cornerbacks, his role was gradually phased out. Cooper was eventually traded to the Arizona Cardinals.

Fast-forward to now. The Chiefs current cornerbacks are Kendall Fuller, Steve Nelson, Orlando Scandrick, Charvarius Ward, Tremon Smith and cornerback-safety hybrid Josh Shaw.

Where would Cooper fit? I think an argument could be made he’d be fourth on this list and could potentially battle Scandrick for the third spot. Plus, since the Chiefs were supposedly moving money around to bring Earl Thomas, who came with an $8.5 million cap hit, the Chiefs could surely manage Cooper’s.

If the Bears agreed to Barnwell’s terms—a seventh—I wouldn’t hate it.

Would you?