It's not nitpicky to suggest the Chicago Bears need a lift at the NFL trade deadline.

Sure, the club sports an inviting 5-1 record, which has to feel encouraging after last season's 8-8 finish. But that success is among the reasons this team can chase win-now upgrades.

Trading for talent means sacrificing assets, which only a winning team can justify. But the Bears have positioned themselves to be buyers with this strong start, especially since there are clear areas to upgrade.

Let's take a deeper look at why #TradeSZN should bring several changes in the Windy City.

The Championship Field Is Wide Open

For any team to consider making a major midseason purchase, there needs to be a carrot at the end of the stick. In other words, the opportunity for upward mobility must be present to justify the cost.

One glance at the standings suggests Chicago should be hearing opportunity knocking.

Yes, there are still three teams holding unblemished records: the Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans. But only one of those clubs (Pittsburgh) ranks among the NFL's top seven in scoring differential, which is typically more indicative of a team's true performance. Moreover, the NFC has only three representatives in the category's top eight, all of which have two losses: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.

The San Francisco 49ers might be too banged up to defend their conference title. The Seattle Seahawks are prone to uncontrollable defensive leaks. The Green Bay Packers were just humbled (if not humiliated) by the Bucs. The New Orleans Saints are barely above water through five games (153 points for, 150 points against).

The teams projected to finish ahead of Chicago might not be the tricky obstacles many expected. The right kind of roster upgrade might vault the Bears clear of this crowded-but-flawed pack.

Chicago's Success May Not Be What It Seems

No team ever needs to apologize for its record, but Chicago shouldn't take its 5-1 start at face value.

The Bears have played two teams with winning records: the Indianapolis Colts, who beat them by eight, and the Buccaneers, who they knocked off by a single point. Otherwise, Chicago has single-score victories over the 2-3 Detroit Lions, the 1-5 New York Giants, the 1-5 Atlanta Falcons and the 3-3 Carolina Panthers.

Not exactly murderer's row, right?

Again, all teams can do is defeat the opponents on their schedule. In that respect, the Bears are doing almost as well as they could be.

But when you consider the opposition's strength (or lack thereof), it makes Chicago's plus-12 scoring differential (13th overall, worst among teams with one or fewer losses) feel pretty underwhelming.

Offense Needs More Zip

Chicago's most explosive offensive weapon has already been defused. Tarik Cohen, the Bears' best multipurpose back, was lost for the season to a torn ACL in Week 3.

The offense has lacked explosiveness ever since. Only four teams average fewer than Chicago's 312.8 yards per game. With all due respect to those fanbases, but all four clubs appear to be going nowhere: the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Football Team, who collectively own a 4-19 record.

The Bears haven't had a single offensive play span 50 yards yet. In fact, the closest any play has come was a 45-yard scamper by now-benched quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Who strikes fear in the opposing defense? David Montgomery hasn't had a 25-yard run or a 30-yard reception. Allen Robinson is reliable, but he's only found the end zone twice. Same goes for Anthony Miller, who might be running out of time to engineer his long-awaited breakout. Jimmy Graham paces the team with four touchdowns, but he's only once delivered fewer yards per target (5.6).

Chicago needs a spark, and it doesn't seem like it will happen internally.

Questions at Quarterback

The Bears knew they had questions at the quarterback spot coming into the year. If they didn't, they wouldn't have traded for Nick Foles in the offseason.

About that...

This all got off to an ominous start when Foles couldn't beat out Trubisky in training camp. The Bears could've taken low-cost fliers on Cam Newton or Jameis Winston, but they instead gave up a fourth-round pick for Foles, took on the $21 million guaranteed on his contract and watched him fail to unseat the incumbent.

Then, Chicago reversed course in Week 3 and benched Trubisky for Foles, but that didn't exactly answer those questions. Trubisky had six touchdown passes against three interceptions in fewer than three games. Foles has six and four, respectively, through three-plus. Trubisky averaged 6.5 yards per attempts and 11.0 yards per completion. Foles is at 5.8 and 9.2, respectively.

However, the Bears are unlikely to upgrade their quarterback room at the deadline. Maybe they could pick up a Ryan Fitzpatrick or Sam Darnold, but those aren't obvious upgrades (if they're upgrades at all). Maybe Matt Ryan would help, but he probably isn't available, and even if he was, who's breaking the bank for a 35-year-old quarterback leading a 1-5 club?

Saying all that, this necessitates the need for infusions of talent in other areas. If Chicago can't improve the most important position in football, then it must be razor-sharp around it. Teams can win big with less-than-perfect quarterbacks, but not if they lack playmakers and have a cavernous void at left guard.