Losing Eddie Goldman is a big hit for the Chicago Bears and they must replace him.
The Chicago Bears received some devastating news with the announcement that defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, one of the most underrated players in the NFL, opted out of the 2020 season. He did so over fears of the COVID-19 virus. Goldman has dealt with asthma so he is in a high-risk group so he decided not to take any chances.
The loss leaves the Bears with a huge hole to fill in the middle of the defensive line. While he has 12.5 career sacks with the Bears, his specialty is against the run. With him on the line, the Bears’ run defense ranked in the top-ten since 2017 and was number one in 2018.
Now the Bears need to look around for Goldman’s replacement for 2020. They had a very good backup in Nick Williams, but he left via free agency and now plays for the Detroit Lions. Of course, the Bears couldn’t look ahead and expect something like this to happen.
The Bears do receive some salary-cap relief with Goldman’s absence. After paying his $3 million bonus earlier this year, they save $4.85 on his base salary. That means they now have about $16 million available in salary cap space.
Was able to confirm that Eddie Goldman has already received his 2020 $3M roster bonus. That amount should NOT toll
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) July 28, 2020
So Bears get $4.85M 2020 cap credit, around $16M in 2020 cap space https://t.co/6XqC4SU6BU
With the added money, do the Bears go outside the roster to look for a replacement, or do they replace him from inside the team? Here are five players who could step in and help replace Goldman in the 2020 season.