Bears' $72 million defender has become everyone's top candidate to be released

The Chicago Bears will be among the most active teams in the NFL when it comes to offseason decisions. They have a long list of free agents, they plan to be active in free agency, and they even have some trade and cut candidates.

As we get closer to the offseason, one player who will almost certainly be cut is linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.

Matt Okada of NFL.com listed the most likely cut candidates in the NFL, and he had to mention Edmunds as one of the most likely in the NFL.

Will the Chicago Bears cut Tremaine Edmunds?

This should be no surprise. The Bears can save $15 million by moving on from him and would be on the hook for $17 million if they kept him. Edmunds has not been a bad player, but he has never lived up to the salary that Chicago gave him a couple of seasons ago.

That expectation is for a top-five-caliber linebacker, and Edmunds has been much closer to average among his peers. It makes it a no-brainer decision for the Bears. The team will have to address needs at key positions.

Both of their safeties are going to be free agents, and they spent big on a few defensive linemen in free agency last year, only to need to spend more on the defensive line this year. The offensive line is getting more expensive, and while the team does not want to trade Cole Kmet or DJ Moore, the salaries they bring do not quite match the production that the team is getting.

So, in order to make it all fit, they certainly cannot be paying someone like Edmunds. When you add in that players who are better than Edmunds will be getting offered less than Edmunds in free agency, the Bears have to make this move.

They can save money and find a better player at linebacker in the process. That is a rare win-win that makes this decision too simple.