Chicago Bears: 5 players who could surprisingly still be cut

The Chicago Bears could opt to cut Akiem Hicks

It would hurt, but the Bears could still choose to cut defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. He is in the final year of his contract with Chicago and set to make $12 million this season. If the Bears cut him, they would save $10.5 million against the cap — that’s a huge amount of money.

At one point, it almost looked like the Bears were going to move on from Hicks. They signed Angelo Blackson on a two-year deal in free agency — a guy who has played a significant amount for the Arizona Cardinals and would be a fine starter opposite Bilal Nichols. There were even rumors that the Bears were allowing Hicks to seek a trade earlier in the offseason, but he stuck around.

Hicks is such an important part of this defense, especially when it comes to stopping the run. He is one of the best run-stopping linemen in the league when he’s healthy. However, that’s been the one concern with Hicks over the past two seasons. Can his body hold up?

If the Bears saw an opportunity to add another talented player either via free agency, trade or if another team were to let go of a notable name, freeing up that cap space would be a big deal. Losing Hicks would also be a big deal, but it all depends upon whom the Bears were to sign with that cash.