Chicago Bears: Analyzing free agency moves made so far
Salary cap space created
The Chicago Bears didn’t have a lot of cap space to hit free agency. Earlier in the offseason, they restructured offensive lineman Kyle Long‘s contract to free up some space. As the legal tampering period began (the time teams could negotiate contracts with players but not do anything official) the Bears had roughly $20 million.
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Then, as the legal tampering period started, the Bears restructured defensive lineman Eddie Goldman‘s contract, freeing up $2.25 million. Then, they made a move to add plenty more money. They restructured linebacker Khalil Mack‘s contract. That move freed up $11.5 million. That allows the team to make several moves to strengthen the roster. They could also make a big splash if you were to believe some of the rumors.
Several reports linked the Bears to running back Le’Veon Bell. However, he signed with the New York Jets, so that’s off the table. They may still decide to sign another running back. The better option, however, is for the Bears take a running back in the draft.
Seeing players restructure their deals to help the team bring in other players is a good sign for the Bears. The players are buying into what Pace and head coach Matt Nagy are doing and now they’re pitching in to help. They still have a bad taste in their mouth with that playoff loss and want to repeat the success of 2018 and go further in the playoffs in 2019.
So while the Bears already made some moves, there are a few others yet to be made. The late restructures help Pace make the other moves he needs to make.