Three surprise cuts the Chicago Bears should make in 2020

Cordarrelle Patterson

This next cut the Chicago Bears could make that would shock everyone is cutting Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson is coming off a Pro Bowl season as a return specialist. He led the NFL in kickoff return yards with 850. He is only due $5.75 million dollars in 2020, but with the Bears struggles elsewhere, they could decide that they need talent at more important positions.

From an offensive standpoint, Patterson played only 19 percent of the offensive snaps. In 202 snaps, he only saw 17 targets and 17 carries out of the backfield. This means he only touched the ball 16.8 percent of the time he was on the field. This screams a lack of importance.

With his 17 targets, he hauled in 11 for 83 yards and did no score. While running the ball, Patterson gained 103 yards. That was an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Not bad efficiency, but is it possible having him as an offensive weapon is more of a distraction for Matt Nagy than anything else? If the Chicago Bears were to cut ties with Patterson, the team would nearly $5 million dollars in salary-cap space.

Now the Bears would be just shy of $50 million. Cutting Adam Shaheen gets them even closer. A bonus “surprise” cut could also be Charles Leno. This move saves them nearly $3 million dollars. I do not think Leno will see the door, but he did show signs of struggling a little this season. Maybe Pace will be able to find a replacement in free agency or the draft.

Would any of these cuts surprise you? Any other cuts you want to see?