3 Players who the Chicago Bears will likely cut in 2023

It’s very likely that the Chicago Bears will cut Cody Whitehair after the season

Cody Whitehair is one of the best offensive linemen on the current roster. He has missed some time due to injury but came back vs the Dolphins in Week 9. Whitehair is an average to above-average offensive guard. However, he is going to be 31 years old next season. 31 isn’t horribly old, but his salary cap hit — although the Chicago Bears can afford it — is going to be $14.1 million. This would make him the second-highest-paid player in 2023.

Everything that Ryan Poles keeps doing tells us that the team is looking to get younger whenever possible. They aren’t going to throw away great talent, but when it comes to Whitehair, he is replaceable. We have seen it to a degree already with lesser talent this season while he has been out of the lineup. Poles should be able to find a replacement for Whitehair in the offseason who will cost significantly less.

If the Chicago Bears chose to cut Whitehair and not designate him with a post-June 1st cut date, then the team will save nearly $6 million dollars. If the team designates his cut as a post-June 1st cut, then the team would save an additional $4 million dollars. That $10 million isn’t “needed” with their salary cap situation, but I’m guessing Poles would prefer to spread that out vs just paying Whitehair.