The Chicago Bears will have the most cap space this offseason but still have several cut candidates. They will check in with over $90 million to spend and a spending floor that they have to hit. Even with that, some of the faces that remain on the roster won’t be here when the 2023 season starts. Perhaps even by the time training camp opens in August. Free agency starts on March 15 and the 2023 NFL Draft will take place from April 27 through April 29.
Between now and then plenty of changes could be made.
Chicago is not immune from this. It could find itself having to cut ties with several key contributors from last season. The following is a list of players who could find themselves as former Bears sooner rather than later.
These 5 Players Could Soon Be Former Chicago Bears
Larry Borom
The Bears drafted Larry Borom in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He quickly endeared himself to the previous coaching staff. Unfortunately for him, they were changed out along with the front office that drafted him. That left him at square one like many of his teammates this past offseason.
Borom finished the season making nine starts in 13 appearances, an improvement over last season in both categories.
But the Bears are in the market for an upgrade while rookie Braxton Jones showed promise.
That could leave Borom – who is on the books for a modest $1.02 million next season and $1.1 million in 2024 – on the outside looking in as Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy continue to mold the front five in their image.
It would make more sense for them to hold him through this year and cut him next summer, though. So his situation is probably safer than not.
The Bears have needs to address this off season but @dmillerabc7 believes they need to start the rebuild in the trenches
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Cody Whitehair
The longest-tenured Bear (tied with long snapper Patrick Scales who missed a year in 2017), Cody Whitehair was drafted in the second round with the 56th-overall pick in 2016. He has spent time at both center and guard and has been one of the more steadying presences in recent years.
This past season, however, he was their fourth highest-rated lineman behind Jones, second-year man Teven Jenkins who converted from tackle to guard, and late training camp addition Riley Reiff who wound up starting nine games, per Pro Football Focus.
Whitehair is also set to carry the second-highest cap hit on the team in 2023 at $14.1 million behind only safety Eddie Jackson, per Spotrac.
Like Borom, however, and perhaps even more so, Whitehair could be in the right place at the right time. He is one of just two $10-plus million cap hits on the books for next season giving the Bears a base to reach the 95% of the $224 million cap.
Even with him in the mix, the Bears have to spend $97 million.
Al-Quadin Muhammad
This was a signing borne of familiarity with Al-Quadin Muhammad having spent the first four seasons of his career under Eberflus in Indianapolis with the Colts. He was also coming off of a career-best season with six sacks in 2021. That success, however, did not translate to Chicago with the five-year veteran posting arguably his worst season considering his role.
Muhammad started nine of his 16 appearances this past season. But was able to produce just one sack and three total hits on opposing quarterbacks.
Part of that can be chalked up to the talent around him. But Muhammad also graded out poorly checking in with the second-worst pass-rush grade on the team besting only rookie Jaylon Jones who is a defensive back.
In the final year of his deal with a $2.5 million price tag, it is easy to envision a scenario in which Muhammad makes it to camp and is given a chance to show this past season was a fluke. But it is equally as easy to find reasons he could be donning a different uniform by the time OTAs roll around in May.
Trevis Gipson
Heading into his fourth season, and in the final year of his rookie deal ($2.7 million), the clock is undoubtedly ticking on Trevis Gipson. He appeared to be ascending toward the latter stages of the 2021 season. But he failed to take that next step following the departures of Khalil Mack and then Robert Quinn.
Gipson was critical of his play at the end of the season telling Last Word On Sports that he would give himself a ‘D’ based on performance though he did think he made some notable improvements.
Another former fifth-rounder, Gipson’s production is arguably matching his pedigree. But, having tallied seven sacks a season ago, it is fair to wonder if the Bears are hoping there is more there. Perhaps in a more complimentary role as he held to begin his career.
Cairo Santos
This wouldn’t have even been a question towards the beginning of the season. Cairo Santos was easily the Bears’ most reliable player knocking through all 13 of his field goal attempts and all 13 of his extra point attempts from Week 2 through Week 9. He was 1-for-3 on the latter in a Week 1 monsoon victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
From Week 10 on, however, Santos was 13-for-16 on extra points and 8-for-10 on field goals with the Bears losing at least two games as a result.
They did end up in the pole position in the draft, so there is a double-edged sword element. But the 31-year-old Santo’s modest $3.5 million salary could quickly become exorbitant if a better option comes along.
Bears Honorable Mention Cut Candidates: Nsimba Webster/Daurice Fountain
No disrespect intended to either Daurice Fountain or Nsimba Webster. Let’s just hope the Bears add enough talent this offseason that they wind up as practice squatters at best.
Main Photo: Jamie Sabau – USA Today Sports
