The Chicago Bears could be called one of the sleepers of 2019 free agency this year. They’re nowhere close to one of the teams with the most salary cap space. That honor belongs to Indianapolis, New York (Jets), and Buffalo among others. One can imagine they’ll be the most active teams on the market. However, history shows that it’s never wise to ignore teams who appear to not have much money to spend.
Latest reports have the Bears somewhere between $17-18 million in cap space. That’s not a lot compared to the top teams who are working with anywhere from $80 million to $130 million. However, it is enough to make at least one bold move if they wish. Now things got even more interesting. According to Field Yates of ESPN, the Bears made another low-key move to free up space ahead of legal tampering window.
Source: in advance of free agency, the Bears have created $2.25M in cap space by converting the $3M roster bonus due to DT Eddie Goldman this Friday into a signing bonus. Extra money to work with.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 11, 2019
This move likely puts the Bears over $20 million in cap space with two days to go before the official league year opens. The question is obviously what they plan to do with it. There seem to be three possibilities that make sense.
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#1 – They moving to re-sign Adrian Amos and/or Bryce Callahan
The Bears had the best defense in the NFL last season and they no doubt would prefer to keep it that way for 2019. Retaining all the key players would be the way to go. Amos and Callahan are both set to become free agents, which would leave two sizable holes in the secondary. GM Ryan Pace has made it clear he’d love to keep both of them, but that will cost a considerable amount of money. This cap move is another step in that direction.
#2 – They plan to pursue a top free agent
Word is that Amos already has a healthy market developing for him. Callahan? His is a bit cooler but good corners still command top dollar. The Bears may not be willing to spend big on either anyway. Instead they may wish to see if they can add another top quality piece to their roster. Increase the star power a little bit more in hopes of pushing this team a step closer to a possible Super Bowl run.
#3 – They want to scour the bargain market and improve depth
Time and again history shows that it’s the teams who have deep rosters that tend to go the furthest. The Patriots prove this every year. Star power is important sure, but being able to navigate the treacherous injury realities of the NFL is equally important. The Bears have their core of stars in place. Rather than adding one more, they could use that money to go bargain shopping for multiple depth pieces in preparation for possible health issues.
