3 Players who the Chicago Bears will likely cut in 2023
Justin Jones could be cut by the Chicago Bears despite a solid season
Justin Jones would be more similar to Cody Whitehair on this list than Al-Quadin Muhammad. He’s actually playing fairly well in this new defensive scheme. Jones came here from the Los Angeles Chargers and was the infamous Larry Ogunjobi replacement. I would argue that he’s been money well spent based on what the team was going to pay Ogunjobi. On the year, Ogunjobi has half a sack, while Jones has two. Jones has 25 combined tackles and Ogunjobi only has 18. We are talking $10s of millions of dollars difference in salary.
When I watch Jones play, he’s been solid for the Bears’ front seven. He’s been one of the better defensive tackles, to be honest. The problem is, he’s also not a huge difference-maker. The Chicago Bears could look to find their version of DeForest Buckner in the offseason and cutting Justin Jones in the process could be an option.
Jones is currently going to be the third-highest-paid player on the Chicago Bears roster with a $7.4 million dollar cap hit. If the Bears cut him though, they’d only have a $2.5 million dollar dead cap hit. He might be worth keeping around, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they cut him either.
Eddie Jackson could be the other player to be cut. However, his on-field production has been great and I find it hard to believe the team will move on from him after this year’s performance. He will be the highest-paid player on the team (outside of new additions) at $17 million. Should they cut him, his dead cap hit is only $9.5 million. Keep him in mind as a small possible cut as well.