The Chicago Bears are essentially stuck at the moment when it comes to free agency. The team will probably not make many, if any, moves before the 2021 NFL Draft at the end of the month. Some players have been brought back on new contracts and some new faces have been added. However, Ryan Pace has not made any big splashes despite attempting to sign Kenny Golladay to a one-year deal to pair with Allen Robinson.
This is not your normal free agency year. Some big names are still out there currently and this has plenty to do with the salary cap seeing a decrease for the first time in years. Many teams had to make tough cuts this offseason and the Chicago Bears were one of them. Seeing Kyle Fuller go was difficult for many, but it makes sense from a salary cap standpoint. Had the cap gone up as expected, it is more likely that Fuller would still be in a Chicago Bears uniform.
The thing is, we need to understand that even more cuts are coming. Right now, the Chicago Bears have roughly $500,000 in salary cap space. The team will need at least $7 million more just to sign all of the rookies they will be drafting in a few weeks. Names like Charles Leno and Jimmy Graham are still prime cut-candidates despite still being on the roster.
After the 2021 NFL Draft, expect another round of cuts and the second wave of free agency signings. Right now, there are five key players from the roster in 2020 who still need a team in 2021.