The Chicago Bears flipped a good portion of their roster over. We have only gotten to the 90-man portion, but there is a good chance that less than half of the players on the 2022 roster will have been on the team for cut down day in 2021.
While Ryan Poles obviously did a lot of tearing down of a roster that he was not satisfied with, he does have some strong leftovers from the past regime. The following ten players are still valuable to the progression of the Chicago Bears and could be big reasons why the roster will be able to bridge from Ryan Pace to Ryan Poles.
10. Cody Whitehair
Cody Whitehair has been with the Chicago Bears since 2016. He will end up being one of the better picks that Ryan Pace made. The question now becomes how much value can he still bring, and how long will he remain in Chicago?
Whitehair is entering his age 30 seasons, and 2020 was a season that he dealt with injury issues for the first time in his career. Whitehair is signed through 2024, but his contract is easy to get out of after this season.
The good thing for Whitehair is that he is playing the same position for two years in a row. From guard to center, back to guard, and all around, he has never been able to settle into a spot, and now he will be at left guard for consecutive years.
Having a healthy Whitehair in the position that he has been the best at is a huge win for the Chicago Bears. He should be a bit higher, but the new regime may be skeptical, and his age, injury status, and contract do not help.