Ryan Poles hasn't made any further roster moves since undrafted free agency died down earlier this month. Some wonder if he's working on a potential trade. A likelier scenario is he's waiting to see how the Chicago Bears look in upcoming Organized Team Activities before determining whether action is needed. He understands the team is in an advantageous position. They have more cap space than anybody else in the league and the #1 spot in the waiver wire priority list. If somebody notable becomes available, the Bears should be able to get him.
One avenue that could be fruitful is the looming deadline of June 1st. Players released on this date can have their dead cap money spread across two years instead of one. It tends to bring extra cap relief to those teams. Some notable names could be June 1st cuts this year. Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott are two of the most popular. Another that isn't getting much attention, and one that should interest the Bears, is Shaq Barrett.
The veteran pass rusher carries a $21 million cap hit in 2022. Tampa Bay is less than $500,000 under the cap right now. Unloading Barrett, who is coming off an Achilles injury, would give them much-needed breathing space with $14 million in relief.
The Chicago Bears can make great use of Barrett.
That is presuming he's healthy, of course. The former Pro Bowler said he expects to be ready for opening day in September, which is a good sign. Some will say Barrett isn't a good fit for the Bears because he's spent his entire career playing as a 3-4 outside linebacker. While a fair assessment, it's worth noting Matt Eberflus has worked around such issues before. He got two great seasons out of Justin Houston during his time in Indianapolis, another career 3-4 guy. There is no reason to think he can't find the right way to utilize Barrett.
Under normal circumstances, Tampa Bay would cut him. They just invested two draft picks in their defensive front. The team appears to be in transition following the exit of Tom Brady. Unloading Barrett makes perfect business sense. One thing staying their hand is the tragic death of the linebacker's two-year-old daughter, who drowned in a pool accident—cutting somebody so soon after such a horrific accident wouldn't be great PR.
If the Buccaneers do, then the Chicago Bears have every reason to bring him in. He'd be an instant boost to their thin edge rusher room.
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