Chicago Bears: Possible 2018 cuts to free up cap space

With the end of the 2017 season, we take a look at some cuts that the Chicago Bears need to make to free up salary cap space in 2018.

The Chicago Bears just finished another disappointing season. They finished last in the NFC North for the third straight season under John Fox and fourth in a row overall. Additionally, they finished winless in the division for the first time since the NFL formed the division.

All this losing cost Fox his job. Now the Bears launched a search for a new coach. They need one who helps develop the young players and the new players coming in. Believe me, there will be many new faces on this team in 2018.

General manager Ryan Pace has done a pretty good job of filling the team with young players. Yes, people keep hounding Pace with the Kevin White pick, but he’s made a lot of other good picks. Currently, he has Eddie Goldman, Jordan Howard, Leonard Floyd, Adrian Amos, Nick Kwiatkoski, Jonathan Bullard, Cody Whitehair, Mitch Trubisky, Adam Shaheen, Tarik Cohen, and Eddie Jackson who are either starters or key contributors. That’s 11 of his 20 picks in three years, a pretty good record.

Expect Pace to hit the draft again since there are still many holes on this roster. In addition to the draft, Pace needs to hit on some free agents. His free agency record is a little spotty, especially when compared to his drafting. However, there may be a reason for that.

Some of the veterans he signed have outs this offseason. That means the Bears can save a lot of money on the salary cap. According to Overthecap.com, the Bears have a little over $46.2 million cap space available. That doesn’t look like a lot for them to hit free agency hard. However, with the buyouts, Chicago can, in theory, double their cap space.

Let’s take a look at where the Bears can cut and save in cap space.