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Chicago Bears have a lot of questions surrounding their roster over the next calendar year. Several key players will either become free agents in 2019 or be entering the last year of their current deals. This makes matters interesting for GM Ryan Pace. Unlike years past, he won't be operating with a wealth of salary cap space to do almost anything he wants.
Current projections say the Bears will have upwards of $20 million in room to maneuver next year. That's some wiggle room but not a lot. This means the team may have to make some tough decisions in the coming months regarding who they choose to pay and who they may have to sacrifice.
Looking over the notable names who fill the list, here is a breakdown of whom may not get what they're hoping for.
This is going to make a lot of fans unhappy. After all that Howard has done, how can the Bears not extend him? The simple answer is they have to draw the line somewhere.
Khalil Mack,
Allen Robinson, and
Kyle Fuller took huge bites out of the salary cap this year. Money must be set aside for
Mitch Trubisky sooner than later.
It's hard to envision how they can pay Howard and have enough for everybody else including the QB. He won't want to play another year on that cheap rookie contract. Rightfully so. That leaves the Bears with two choices. Either extend him or trade him. The latter might be their most logical course of action.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzpE5x4hVno
This is an easy one. Once you're certain you have a good starting center, it's wise to ensure he stays put. Few things are more valuable on offense than a consistent quarterback-center exchange. Cody Whitehair remains one of their best blockers up front and he might be in the midst of his best season to date. His blocking his solid and he seems to have cleared up his snap issues. The Bears will want to get him situated.
This may depend on the kind of year he has but there are few things more valuable than having defensive linemen who can rush the quarterback. Roy Robertson-Harris isn't an emerging start in that matter, but he's proven to be a solid rotational defensive end who can get after the quarterback. The Bears should be able to keep him at a reasonable price.
This one will be tricky. It depends on how 2018 pans out. Right now the Bears will have three options. If he breaks out, they move to extend him next offseason if possible. If he has a decent year, they use the 5th year option on his rookie contract to control his rights into 2020. Or if he struggles they let him play out his rookie deal as they did with Kyle Fuller to see if he responds to the challenge. Right now, the second option seems most likely.
Seems the gamble the Bears made signing Lynch on prove-it deal is working so far. He's performed quite well despite missing all of training camp and the preseason. It's clear he likes playing in the Vic Fangio system and is still jump 25-years old. Imagine what he might be able to do if he actually plays more than one year in it. Odds are the Bears should be able to keep him at a favorable rate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig84Mwd5ibI
Trevathan is in the midst of a career renaissance at the moment. He's playing arguably the best football he's ever played and that's great news. The big question is how long can he keep it up? The man is terrific when healthy but he has a rough track record of staying that way. Add in the fact he's approaching age 30 soon and the odds of the Bears extending aren't favorable. That could change if he reaches the Pro Bowl, but time will tell.
The Bears brought back Callahan on a one-year deal to see whether he could finally get over his health issues to put together a full season. So far that move is proving fruitful. The young corner hasn't been injured yet and he's played really well on defense. If this holds true they should move quickly to lock him up, giving them that reliable presence in the slot every good defense needs these days.
As with Howard, the Bears will have to make a sacrifice on defense at some point. It's looking like Adrian Amos will be that guy. While he's been a steady presence at safety for them, the bottom line is he's just not making an impact. He has one interception in his career. Being good against the run is fine but this game is about turnovers. He just doesn't force enough of them. Chicago can almost certainly aim higher at that position.
Another player who was signed to a one-year deal with a simple directive. Prove you deserve to stay beyond this year. All things considered, Pat O'Donnell has done well to this point. The Bears are 8th in net punt average this year with five of his 14 punts being downed inside the opposing 20-yard line. It hasn't been anything close to perfect but it's progress from where he was not too long ago.
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