This offseason will be an impactful one for the Chicago Bears. After overhauling the roster last offseason, the Bears went from three wins to seven. Now they have an opportunity to add more talent and put together a team that can win more games than it loses. That has happened just one time in the past ten seasons.

For the second consecutive year, the Bears have the number one pick in the NFL Draft. Last year, general manager Ryan Poles brought in a haul and it helped improve the roster.

However, what also helped was having $110 million in salary cap space. Poles was able to bring in some key players who had good seasons. Having that salary cap space allowed Poles to make the trade of the pick and acquire wide receiver DJ Moore. He had a $20.165 million cap hit. With the space available, fitting that contract was no problem.

Despite already having a good amount of salary cap space, the Chicago Bears can still make some cuts to free up even more
The Bears currently have about $46.9 million in salary cap space. That is based on a salary cap of $242 million set for each team. That number is not official but it is expected to be the minimum. It may be higher. The Bears’ total ranks ninth in the league.

That is a good number and ranks eighth among the teams. However, there could be some cuts made to free up even more space. These are players who might not be in the future plans. They might be struggling players with salaries that could provide a nice chunk of money to help improve the roster.

Here is a list of players the Chicago Bears could cut to increase the salary cap in 2024.

Travis Homer, Running Back
Travis Homer was brought in to assist in the running game and on special teams. He did not do much on either side. He received no rushing attempts in the season and played solely on special teams.

There are plenty of other running backs who can provide some help. Also, finding help on special teams is readily available. If the Bears cut him, they could save about $1.885 million.

DeMarcus Walker, Defensive End
The Chicago Bears signed DeMarcus Walker to a three-year, $21 million deal last offseason. In return, he gave them 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Chicago brought him in to help the struggling pass rush. However, he was unable to make an impact, though he did have 16 quarterback hits.

The Bears ended up acquiring Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. They quickly locked him up on a four-year, $98 million extension. He ended up being great for the defense. He energized the defensive line and the rest of the defense.

Sweat, however, needs help on the other side. Walker had an opportunity to show what he could do but it was woefully short. Opponents will start to send traffic his way if the Bears don’t have anyone on the other side. They can use one of their early picks in the draft to select a good pass rusher. They wouldn’t need to pay a premium for Walker, who would be relegated to a reserve and pick up a reserve on a smaller salary.

Walker would have to be a post-June 1st cut or trade. If they do it, they could save $8 million.

Eddie Jackson, Safety
Eddie Jackson has been so good for the Bears since they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. They had the steal of the draft since he had first-round talent. A broken leg scared teams away, however. From his first game, he played like a man possessed, proving all the other teams wrong for passing on him.

Jackson was a two-time Pro Bowl safety and was a first team All-Pro. He was an incredible ball hawk. He had 10 interceptions and five fumble recoveries in his first three seasons. Also, he had a knack for finding the end zone, recording six total touchdowns.

That was then, though. Over the next two seasons he had zero interceptions and just one fumble recovery. In 2022, he found his touch again, recording four interceptions. However, he suffered a foot injury that cut his season short at 12 games.

In 2023, Jackson again suffered with injuries, playing 12 games again. This time, he recorded just one interception. It seems that his body is starting to break down after seven seasons. He had a great career, but his time in Chicago appears to be over.

The Bears could save up to a whopping $14.150 million if they part ways with Jackson (post-June 1st designation).

Cody Whitehair, Offensive Line
Cody Whitehair is another player who gave it his all and had a pretty good career with the Chicago Bears. He was the shining star on the offensive line for several seasons. Additionally, he did whatever the team asked of him. He shifted from center to guard (on both sides) several times whenever the team needed it.

Now it appears that his time in Chicago is drawing to an end. In 2022, he missed five games due to injury. He came back and played in all 17 games in 2023, but he was not the same. He looked a step too slow when blocking. Furthermore, his snaps were wild at too many times. Bad snaps mess up the rhythm of the play and usually result in a bad play.

Whitehair has been a great asset for the Bears but it seems that time is now getting the best of him. The Bears are looking to get younger on the offensive line and Whitehair may be a casualty.

Parting ways with Whitehair would save the Bears up to $10.25 million.

Teven Jenkins, Offensive Line
While age and injury might have slowed Whitehair down, a brittle body is hurting Teven Jenkins’ career. He is a talented player who was projected to be a first round pick in 2021. Injury concerns led to him dropping into the second round, though.

Those concerns were valid. During training camp in his rookie season, Jenkins required back surgery. That wiped out nearly his entire season. He played just six games that season.

Injuries became a running theme of Jenkins’ career. In 2022, he missed four games and in 2023 he missed five games due to a number of injuries.

While Jenkins is a talented player, that talent does nothing when he is sidelined by an injury. Before the 2023 season, he spoke about a new conditioning program that was set up to help him stay healthy. He started out the season on injured reserve. For some reason, he just cannot seem to stay healthy.

Perhaps another team takes a chance on Jenkins and tries to find the key for him to stay healthy. It just has not worked in Chicago. The Bears could trade him and get a draft pick in return. Moreover, the team saves about $1.8 million.

With these cuts, the Chicago Bears add about $36.1 million in additional salary cap space. That would put them at about $83 million in available money. At the moment, the Washington Commanders have the most cap space at about $73.6 million. Chicago would once again be near the top in cap space and have the flexibility to go after whoever they want in free agency.

Knowing what Poles has done up to this point, he won’t be spending freely. He is careful with his money. He will certainly make $83 million go a long way.