Chicago Bears: Predicting the only logical offseason plan by Ryan Pace
The Chicago Bears salary cap matters
The Chicago Bears sit at a little over $500,000 in cap space remaining currently, according to Spotrac. Most teams try to have a bit of cap space relief entering the NFL season in case of injury, and a player is acquired. Think of that as the rainy day savings account.
The Chicago Bears rainy day fund was around $7 million last season. That was used as a rollover for this year’s salary cap. If the Chicago Bears were to draft a player at every spot they have a draft pick this season, they would need around $8 million in cap space just for their rookies. The players can be drafted, but cannot sign their contracts until the team has ample cap space. So, don’t think the Chicago Bears are done cutting players from the team because they aren’t.
Some might think that if the Chicago Bears trade up, they will have less money to spend on draft picks. While less drafted players would reduce the cost, a player drafted at the 20th overall selection would cost $2.3 million in cap space. A player selected fourth overall would cost $5.6 million in cap space. That can help us understand who the Chicago Bears could be targeting each round.
For example, if the Chicago Bears select Kyle Pitts with the 20th overall selection to play tight end, it would make sense to see him start right away and cut Jimmy Graham. The salary cap dropping this year was very tough on a lot of teams. The Chicago Bears got a double whammy when Mitch Trubisky didn’t work out and the salary cap dropped. Talk about bad luck.
The Chicago Bears quarterback situation stinks, but trading up for a Matt Nagy prospect this season does not seem like the best move unless you hit on him. With Andy Dalton set as the starter, the Chicago Bears should be looking at a left tackle upgrade to replace Charles Leno Jr. However, better cap savings would be with Akiem Hicks.
Nobody wants to see the “Bear” in Chicago Bears leave. But moving on from Hicks would save $10.5 million. A player who could be on the radar for the Chicago Bears is Alabama star defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy were at the Alabama pro day. Ryan Pace is known for sending signals toward one player while grabbing another player under everybody’s nose.