Nobody among the Chicago Bears fan base is envious of the tough decisions general manager Ryan Poles has to make as the team has a month before free agency kicks off.
Several players on the roster have contracts expiring, specifically on defense, with multiple starters becoming available to sign elsewhere. Those top three agents include safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker as well as cornerbacks C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Nahshon Wright.
The problem is that the salary cap does not work in the Bears' favor, as they will have an estimated -$5 million in cap space. That leaves Poles to make some tough cuts on the roster, but one makes the most sense of them all.
Ryan Poles should consider releasing linebacker Tremaine Edmunds
Edmunds missed four games last year due to injury, but was still very productive on the field. He finished with 112 tackles, nine pass deflections, four interceptions, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and one fumble recovery in 13 games.
The Bears were good defensively with Edmunds on the field, as he made an impact in pass coverage and was all over the field making tackles. That said, there was an instance when he was out, but the Bears still got good performances from their backups.
One option for the Bears is to release Edmunds, which would save them $15 million and leave a dead cap hit of only $2.4 million, according to Spotrac. That would open the door for them to re-sign D'Marco Jackson to an estimated AAV of $5 million per year.
Jackson was great in his own right when the Bears were dealing with injuries to Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, and Noah Sewell. One of his performances was so good that he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week back in Week 15 against the Cleveland Browns.
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Over the last three years in Chicago, Edmunds has been good, but never played like the two-time Pro Bowler he was with the Buffalo Bills. It would be best for the Bears to move on from him and give Jackson his place in the starting lineup in 2026.