Should the Chicago Bears bring back Benny Cunningham or let him walk in free agency?
As the Chicago Bears head into free agency all of the talk will be around Adrian Amos or Bryce Callahan, or why not both? However, smaller decisions such as Benny Cunningham will have to be made as well. Depth is important in the grind of the NFL. With that in mind what is the case for and against re-signing Benny Cunningham?
Keep
Cunningham is a four-way special teamer. He is not known as an elite special teamer by any means, but he knows his job and does it well. In that regard, he is a tough player to push out the door.
On top of that he has typically been a solid pass protector. He is not going to be expensive, he does the little things, and he brings veteran status to a young team. This can be worth keeping.
Let go:
He played in 36 offensive snaps last season. That is likely a good thing because it means Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen were healthier than last season. However, the Chicago Bears also rolled with Taquan Mizzell over Cunningham on offense.
This is a bit of a surprise considering Matt Nagy did not bring in Mizzell or Cunningham. However, Nagy having no ties to Cunningham and choosing Mizzell over him is not good for his longterm status.
The Chicago Bears can find a fourth running back who can play punt coverage anywhere. Matt Nagy may want to find one who at least some hint of upside in the form of a starter.
If Cunningham wants any more than the minimum, he shouldn’t get it. It will be interesting to see if Nagy even wants him at the minimum.