Chicago Bears: Possible 2018 cuts to free up cap space

Marcus Cooper, CB (Savings = $4.5 million)

The Chicago Bears’ secondary was supposed to be a weakness. The guys on that unit really took the preseason criticism to heart and worked to change that image. The unit wasn’t the best in the league, but they played better than expected.

Pace brought in Prince Amukamara and Marcus Cooper to solidify the unit. Amukamara gelled well with Kyle Fuller and while they didn’t look like Darrelle Revis and Deion Sanders, they were solid. Cooper, on the other hand, started out well but made such a boneheaded move in Week 3 against the Steelers that it seemed that the coaching staff lost confidence in him. He returned a blocked field goal and looked like he’d score a touchdown. For some reason, he decided to slow down at the 10-yard line. A Steelers player knocked the ball out at the 1-yard line. It was an embarrassing move that went viral.

It seems his fate was sealed from there. I think it’s silly, but he had 11 tackles up to the Pittsburgh game. After that, he had just four and he had just three passes defended for the entire season.

Cooper’s loss was Fuller’s gain. Fuller got a chance to play other than nickel cornerback and made the most of his opportunity. He finished the season with 22 passes defended (he had 19 total in his first two seasons played). Additionally, he had two interceptions (though he should have had more with how many deflections he had).

I feel the Bears go re-sign Fuller and Amukamara and find a cornerback in the draft and/or free agency. That leaves Cooper out.