The Chicago Bears gutted over half of their roster in the spring. GM Ryan Poles made it clear he intended to rip this thing down to the studs and rebuild. It wasn’t what anybody wanted after such glittering promise in 2018, yet that was the reality. Poles understood the team was old, expensive, and most of their good players were past their primes. Almost every hint of the previous regime had to go.
Khalil Mack? Gone. Allen Robinson? Gone. Akiem Hicks? Gone. The list was extensive. Yet that isn’t the crazy part. The crazy part is Poles probably isn’t done. There is a strong possibility another mass exodus is coming in 2023. The Bears are 2-4 with a brutal schedule ahead of them. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them hit 2-6 by November. That is why it is time to determine who may be gone next spring.
Several current Chicago Bears won’t be around much longer
Offense:
David Montgomery – The running back has been a steady presence in an otherwise stormtossed time for the Bears offense. That said, his contract is coming up. Khalil Herbert has performed better in this new system. Reloading running backs isn’t difficult.
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Dante Pettis – Four dropped passes in a three-game span. Nobody can say Pettis didn’t get opportunities. Far more than he probably deserved. He gets open. He just can’t reliably catch the football.
Cody Whitehair – The best lineman Ryan Pace ever drafted, which isn’t saying much. Whitehair was a solid player for a decent stretch. His recent knee injury and advancing age make his future on the team questionable. The Bears would secure $5.8 million in additional cap space by either cutting or trading him.
Sam Mustipher – No much to say here. Mustipher was never supposed to be the starting center. Then Lucas Patrick broke his thumb. By the time he got healthy, Whitehair hurt his knee. That forced Patrick to left guard, leaving Mustipher in place. Nobody is feeling that misfortune more than Justin Fields.
Lucas Patrick – Speaking of Poles’ free agent pickup, he’s been brutal the past couple of weeks. He allowed six pressures on the QB by himself against Washington. If that keeps up, the Bears GM may have to seek an alternate strategy.
Cole Kmet – Keep this in mind. The bar for Poles at tight end is Travis Kelce. He helped draft the future Hall of Famer in Kansas City. Kmet has not come remotely close to that level of play. It would not be a surprise if the Chicago Bears pulled the plug on the former 2nd round pick.
Defense:
Robert Quinn – One sack in five games. That sums up Quinn at this point. Whatever juice he had in 2021 is long gone. Maybe age finally caught him. Perhaps he didn’t care for the scheme switch. Whatever the case, the Bears can and likely will send him on his way next spring. Maybe even sooner.
Look at what Christian Darrisaw did to Robert Quinn on this play pic.twitter.com/fFdYfkkQL4
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 9, 2022
Angelo Blackson – Defensive tackle is by far the biggest weakness of the Chicago Bears defense. Justin Jones has been solid, but everybody else has not. Blackson is one of their biggest liabilities. He can’t stop the run and is useless as a pass rusher.
Matthew Adams – Linebacker is crucial to making the Tampa-2 offense go. Will Roquan Smith stay? Probably. At least for one more year. Nicholas Morrow has been solid in the middle. Adams has already battled injuries, landing on IR. The Bears need more playmakers at the position. So he could be the odd man out.
