The Chicago Bears' reported openness to trading receiver Brandon Marshall makes sense if the new regime believes it can replace his production and improve locker room chemistry by removing him.

But the truth is the Bears are a better team with Marshall on the field than without him. The potential distractions can be mitigated by strong leadership from new head coach John Fox, general manager Ryan Pace, and the rest of the team.

In nine years in the NFL, Marshall has put together 34 games in which he gained 100-plus yards receiving, and his teams are a total of 15-19 under such circumstances. But the Bears are 9-6 when Marshall, a five-time Pro Bowler, reaches 100 yards receiving.

Brandon Marshall Targets Per Route Run Season Percent 2012 37.7* 2013 27.5 2014 22.6 *Highest among qualified players in NFL Source: ESPN Stats & Information

Pace and Fox said they've met with Marshall and several other players as they make plans for the 2015 Bears. Marshall's base salary of $7.5 million for next season becomes guaranteed on the third day of the new league year (March 12).

Marshall fought through lagging leg injuries most of last season, and finished the year on the injured reserve due to fractured ribs and a punctured lung, and produced just 721 yards receiving. Prior to last season, Marshall racked up 1,000 yards receiving in seven consecutive seasons.

On top of the production tailing off, Marshall participated in a couple of instances that could be construed as potential distractions. Most notably, a postgame locker room rant after a loss to the Miami Dolphins, in addition to challenging a Detroit Lions fan to a boxing match on Twitter as well as weekly television duties as an analyst on Showtime's "Inside the NFL."

But wouldn't you accept such hiccups for Marshall's usual production, especially if the new regime found a way to keep it all to a minimum?

Marshall turns 31 on March 23, but his subpar 2014 campaign shouldn't be attributed to age as much as injury, issues at quarterback and suspect play calling. After all, there are several receivers in their 30s coming off productive seasons, such as Atlanta's Roddy White, Baltimore's Steve Smith, San Francisco's Anquan Boldin and Houston's Andre Johnson.

Marshall is younger than all those players, and his offseason training habits make the receiver one of the league's better conditioned players at the position. Let's also not discount Marshall's penchant for playing through pain.

Besides that, the Bears giving up Marshall for a mid- to late-round pick -- which is likely all the team would likely receive in a trade -- makes little sense when considering his $7.5 million salary isn't prohibitive with regards to the cap as Chicago is eyeing more than $25 million in salary cap space.

So if the team is truly looking to move Marshall, Fox and Pace must really perceive the receiver as a major locker room problem. That wouldn't be a surprise. Teammates throughout the season and after have characterized Marshall that way. But it's easy to forget that in Marshall's best season as a pro (2012, when he finished with 118 catches for 1,508 yards), the Bears finished the year with a 10-6 record.

So how much of a distraction was Marshall back then?

"I think [Marshall has] had great production. I think he's a guy that's a big target," Fox said in February at the NFL combine. "That helps you a lot in the red area, and he's done it in this league. We're trying to evaluate where everybody fits, and how we best use them; trying to put the best football team on the field. He's part of that process. I don't know if it's fair to give a full evaluation when I only took part of the test. We've still got more questions on the test, so we'll continue down that path, and hopefully make the best decision for our football team."

If that means ridding the locker room of Marshall, the brass needs to make sure to replace his production.

Because even on the verge of 31 and coming off the second-worst season of his career in terms of production, Marshall still is one of the best receivers in the NFL. Chicago will see that in 2015, whether it's with the Bears or elsewhere.