Chicago Bears Send Clear Message With Their First Big Cuts of 2018

The Chicago Bears 2018 off-season is a-go. That was made clear with their first two notable moves, both coming within hours of each other. It started when inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman was reportedly cut by the team. This wasn't much of a surprise. His 2017 run was brief and controversial. He tore his pec in the first game of the season, landed on injured reserve and then got suspended for his second PED violation. With younger options like Christian Jones and Nick Kwiatkoski playing well, his fate was sealed. Not long after it was reported that former Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton would not have his $8 million option picked up by the Bears for this season. This essentially made him a free agent. In two years with the team, he did make the Pro Bowl but also dealt with nagging injury problems.

While it's not shocking that those two men were cut, the fact they were first to go sends a fairly strong message from the Bears brass. One that could hold true for the next month as they shift the roster under their new coaching staff.

Chicago Bears 2018 off-season is clear:  out with the old

Injuries and money certainly played a part in the Bears' decision to cut Freeman and Sitton. However, the overlying reason was far simpler than that. Both men are old. Freeman turns 32 in May of this year. The same goes for Sitton in June. GM Ryan Pace has an established reputation for unloading older players he believes are trending down in their careers. Those two weren't the first. They also won't be the last. Looking at the list of other names on the roster, there are several who definitely fit the same category.

• Pernell McPhee (30 in December)
• Willie Young (33 in September)
• Quintin Demps (33 in June)

That's not even counting other obvious cuts like Mike Glennon and Markus Wheaton. The Bears currently sit at $51 million in projected salary cap space. If those five additional names come off the books, that number would spike to $82 million. Suffice to say the Bears would be swimming in cash by that point. Whether Pace would know what to do with it remains a fair question given his free agency shortcomings of late. The youth movement will continue though. Head coach Matt Nagy clearly wants an athletic roster with plenty of endurance to run his up-tempo system. Older players can often struggle with that.