Chicago Bears Bold Cut Candidate: Germain Ifedi, OT
The final player on this list who could still be cut despite having a low probability of it happening is Germain Ifedi. The Chicago Bears brought Ifedi back this offseason on a one-year deal worth just over $4 million dollars. The team wrote the contract out with two voidable years, spreading the offensive tackle’s cap hit over the next three years. This allowed them to pay him his guaranteed money, but keep his cap hit for 2021 at a very respectable $2.75 million.
Now, if the Chicago Bears decide to move on from Ifedi, they will actually save a few hundred thousand dollars in cap space. Just like Teven Jenkins, Germain Ifedi has been a no-show at training camp. He is dealing with a hip-flexor injury. Now, the difference between Ifedi and Jenkins is that Ifedi is an established veteran. If he does not get training camp reps, it is not as big of a deal. The key here is making sure he is fully healthy for the start of the season.
Jenkins on the other hand needs those reps — especially at left tackle since he played mostly right tackle in college. If the Chicago Bears find out that Larry Borom is a legit starting tackle (he’s getting extra reps with the starting unit now), then it could be possible that Ryan Pace decides that dealing with Ifedi’s lingering hip-flexor is not worth it. Things could really get interesting if the team decides to bring in a free agent or trade for another offensive lineman.
This is probably unlikely as the team could use the depth and moving on from some of the backend tackles who have yet to prove their worth is easier. This is why moving on from Ifedi is a bold take and not a done deal. This goes for all five of these players. The chances that any get cut is slim, however, any one of them could see the door based on certain circumstances and none of these moves would shock me.