The Chicago Bears have officially released Cody Whitehair, and it shouldn't come as a big surprise to many fans.
The Chicago Bears release Cody Whitehair, save $9.15-million in salary cap space this offseason
Whitehair, drafted by the Bears in 2016, had this outcome written all over the walls based on his performance over the last couple of seasons. The level of play he showcased wasn't worth the dollar amount to keep him. In a harsh business like the NFL, the Bears make the right business decision.
At the end of the day, the NFL is a multi-billion dollar business, and while some fans will be heartbroken by Whitehair's departure, it was the right move by Ryan Poles. Releasing Cody Whitehair saved the Chicago Bears $ 9.146 million, and while he might've been liked by fans, they're not the ones hand-delivering a check to him for his declining play.
At his peak, Cody Whitehair was a nice interior lineman for the Bears. In fact, his best season per PFF was his rookie season. Just about every year after that, outside of a comeback 2020 season, the grade declined.
Cody Whitehair PFF grades by season |
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2023 PFF grade: 45.0; 787 snaps; 2 penalties; 3 sacks allowed |
2022 PFF grade: 65.9; 661 snaps; 0 penalties; 4 sacks allowed |
2021 PFF grade: 66.2; 1,121 snaps; 5 penalties; 4 sacks allowed |
2020 PFF grade: 76.3; 893 snaps; 0 penalties; 3 sacks allowed |
2019 PFF grade: 64.9; 1,069 snaps; 4 penalties; 3 sacks allowed |
2018 PFF grade: 75.2; 1,075 snaps; 3 penalties; 0 sacks allowed |
2017 PFF grade: 71.4; 964 snaps; 9 penalties; 1 sack allowed |
2016 PFF grade: 87.5; 1,009 snaps; 7 penalties; 3 sacks allowed |
And in a 2023 season that meant a lot for Cody Whitehair's future with the Bears, he didn't get it done. In fact, last season was Cody Whitehair's worst season by a fair margin.
The Chicago Bears are looking to build a young, talented team. The amount of money Cody Whitehair was set to be paid just flat-out didn't align with the body of work he presented— especially most recently.
This move was seen months in advance as a likelihood, so it's no surprise to see the Chicago Bears release Cody Whitehair. He was a fun player while he was impactful, but once that impact lessened, his release was seemingly inevitable.