5 Chicago Bears who need to step up to keep their jobs

This Chicago Bears Player Must Step Up To Be Retained: Cody Whitehair, LG

This one is a bit strange compared to the others on this list. Cody Whitehair, when healthy, has been solid on the offensive line. He hasn’t played perfectly, but he hasn’t been a liability either. Whitehair has been nothing less than average with a few above-average games. He has not been the same as he was prior to receiving his extension. He’s never been bad, but he’s never been as good as he was his first couple of years in the league either.

It is hard to think that Whitehair is worth being paid the second-most amount of money next season. Only Eddie Jackson is slotted to earn more than Whitehair next year. I recently wrote about Whitehair being a potential salary cap casualty in 2023. Slotted to earn $14.1 million in 2023 and another $13.25 million in 2024, Cody Whitehair is replaceable. In fact, it’s even possible the Bears can upgrade the position and still pay less.

If Ryan Poles decides to cut Whitehair prior to the 2023 season, the team can save $5.8 million. The team has enough salary cap to eat more dead cap next season. However, if Poles designates the cut post-June 1st, then they’d actually save $9.9 million. With their cap space, spreading the savings out over two years is probably the best idea should they go this route.