Chicago Bears: Three more players who might be finished in Chicago

Ben Braunecker – TE

If it were up to me, I would cut ties with Trey Burton this offseason. I understand the team would only save $1 million in cap space and paying $7 million for Burton to go away makes very little sense. That said, I think Burton is just a waste of space at this point. I will not include him here as a player who could be done in Chicago because I believe Ryan Pace keeps him (as he should from a business perspective), but Ben Braunecker should see the door.

Just as the quarterback room needs to see an overhaul this offseason, so does the tight end corps. For anyone who thinks the team can just draft a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft to fix the problem needs to slow down. More often than not, the tight end position hardly succeeds in the first year of a rookie deal. The position seems to take at least a year for college players to translate their game to the NFL level.

Furthermore, this 2020 tight end draft class is not top-level talent. Only one or two of them are worth drafting when the Chicago Bears pick in the second round. Personally, the team would be better off looking to replace Leonard Floyd at OLB and adding game-changing talent at the wide receiver position.

Cutting Braunecker would save the Chicago Bears nearly $1.5 million. Braunecker serves a purpose but is easily replaceable and the team should be able to find a replacement for much cheaper than what they would pay him in 2020. I expect Braunecker’s days are numbered here in Chicago.