3 easy cuts to save the Chicago Bears $21 million in cap space
By Joseph Herff
Chicago Bears Cut Candidate: Cody Whitehair, Interior Offensive Lineman
One of the mainstays of the offensive line, Cody Whitehair could be on the chopping block this offseason. Whitehair will be 30 entering next season and arguably had one of his worst seasons yet. He has bounced around between center and guard for most of his career but has mainly looked best at guard. This year was different.
Whitehair finished 2020 on a high note as one of the highest-graded guards in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). That did not carry over for 2021 as he showed multiple struggles in both pass protection and run blocking. Granted, he is playing alongside Sam Mustipher, who is horrible, so he probably has to cover for him quite a bit.
Ryan Poles may come in though with the plan to completely revamp the offensive line though. He could repair the entire interior by not re-signing James Daniels and Sam Mustipher while cutting Whitehair and building around the young tackles. Cutting Whitehair post-June 1st would save $8.1 million.