Everybody is already talking about free agency in March. That’s understandable. Most fans have already seen their teams get eliminated from the playoffs. They’re in off-season mode and the real off-season begins when free agency goes active. However, GMs like Ryan Pace have a ton of work to do before then. Biggest on his agenda is the 2018 Bears in-house free agents.

He must go through every single contract that is expiring and make a list. Who is a priority and who isn’t coming back? A new coaching staff led by Matt Nagy will make some of those decisions a little unclear. That said it isn’t too hard to separate the players in terms which are most likely to come back and which are gone.

Here is a breakdown of every name that is set to become available. The Bears will have upwards of $40 million in salary cap space this year. That’s not counting likely releases and cap rollover. So money won’t be an issue for them. It is merely a matter of determining who has the most value to their future.

Franchise Tag

Kyle Fuller (CB)

There is only one player the Bears should even remotely consider for the franchise tag. Even then it’s a slight stretch. That’s Kyle Fuller. The former first round pick seemed to find himself in 2017. He picked off two passes, defended 22 others and finished second on the team in tackles. He’s turning 26 this year and entering his prime. This is not the sort of player the Bears want to let get away. Not when he’s starting to play his best football.

Priorities

Cameron Meredith (WR)

It looked like he was poised for a big year before he suffered his unfortunate knee injury. Even with that Meredith is a restricted free agent, so keeping him won’t be difficult. He still has plenty of upside and could make for a quality target Mitch Trubisky can exploit.

Kendall Wright (WR)

Sure he wasn’t exactly spectacular but Wright was the leading receiver on the roster this year (614 yards) and nobody else was close. The guy was given a crummy situation and made the best of it. Trubisky seems to trust him too and that’s worth bringing him back.

Lamarr Houston (EDGE)

How’s this for a stat? Houston finished third on the team this season with four sacks. He did that despite only playing five games, having not actually been on the roster for most of the year. It’s proof that he works well in Vic Fangio’s defense when healthy and must return. Especially given the iffy situation at pass rusher.

Prince Amukamara (CB)

Fuller may have gotten the love but Amukamara deserves credit for the quality year he had as well. The veteran didn’t post eye-popping numbers but he was steady and dependable in coverage all season. It’s unclear how much money he’s seeking, but it shouldn’t be too much.

Christian Jones (ILB)

This is a difficult one to gauge. Jones more than earned a new contract with how well he played this season in place of the injured Jerrell Freeman. However, with Freeman’s uncertain return and the presence of Nick Kwiatkoski who also played well it’s difficult to know whether the Bears are willing to pay to get him back. They should though.

Bryce Callahan (CB)

Perhaps the most frustrating player with an expiring deal. When Callahan is healthy he’s proven to be a rock solid corner on defense, especially in the slot. The problem is he has a lengthy history of injury problems, many of the soft tissue variety. Bringing him back is a gamble but losing him would hurt too.

Sherrick McManis (CB)

McManis isn’t going to be a starting corner for the Bears but he remains a cornerstone member of their special teams. Each time he was forced to leave a game due to injury, they noticed his absence. There is no reason not to bring him back.

50/50

Dontrelle Inman (WR)

He was a trade deadline flier who at least helped settle the position down. He could be brought back cheap but then again he also showcased some serious drop issues.

Mark Sanchez (QB)

The Bears should want to retain Sanchez. Not only is he an able veteran backup but he also has a strong connection as mentor to Trubisky. Whether he’s open to that role is unknown.

Tom Compton (OG)

In terms of being a backup Compton was excellent in 2017. He fulfilled his job admirably. If he’d be willing to continue that role he’s absolutely worth bringing back.

Mitch Unrein (DE)

He never gets the attention because he doesn’t get a lot of sacks but Unrein has proven to be a solid, reliable veteran. Will that continue as he pushes into his 30s?

Sam Acho (EDGE)

Not only a reliable reserve and veteran, Acho has done a marvelous job representing the team off the field. Bringing him back won’t cripple anything, but age is a factor.

Benny Cunningham (RB)

He was both a nice third running back behind Howard and Cohen and also a valuable piece on special teams. Whether the new coaching staff sees a place for him is the problem.

John Jenkins (DE)

Depth along the defensive line is never a bad thing. Jenkins seemed to mesh well in the system even though he didn’t produce a lot. Will be 29 this year.

Bradley Sowell (OT)

Like Compton he was a decent blocker when called upon due to an injury to a starter. He may try to seek out a starting job but if not there’s no reason not to keep him.

Cairo Santos (K)

It’s unfortunate. Santos was never truly healthy in 2017. He’s actually a good kicker when not in constant pain. It should be worth giving him another chance.

Pat O’Donnell (P)

Could the Bears do better than O’Donnell at punter? Yes they can. That said he’s proven to at least be more consistent than years past so best to retain him until a better one arrives.

John Timu (ILB)

He’ll never be a starter in the league but Timu has a place as a dependable backup. Every time the Bears have asked, he’s stepped up. A player like that has value.

Daniel Brown (TE)

The fate of Dion Sims and Zach Miller will play a huge role is how things play out for Brown. He’s not a star but he has some pass catching ability that can be valuable.

Gone

• Mike Nugent (K)
• Josh Bellamy (WR)
• Andrew DePaola (LS)
• Zach Miller (TE)

Miller is such an unfortunate case because he’s a good player. He just can’t stay healthy and the knee injury he suffered in New Orleans may have been career-ending. Nugent was merely an emergency option at kicker as was DePaola at long snapper. Bellamy has moved in and out of the starting lineup the past two years but remains as he’s always been. Nothing special. With a new offensive staff in place his time is likely up.

New head coach Matt Nagy and his staff are still getting familiar with each. This is not a series of guys who are buddies in the off-season. True they sometimes worked with each other in the past but this is a group assembled more on merit than familiarity. That’s exactly how he wants it for the Chicago Bears. A refreshing approach to be sure.

It’s still early. There isn’t a set plan in place for how this staff will approach things. That will evolve from their collective vision over the next few months. At the same time it’s already becoming clear they share one value above most. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor put it best when speaking with the media.

“One thing that we say is adapt or die,” Tabor explained. “The dinosaurs couldn’t figure it out and they became extinct.

“Coaches, they don’t figure it out, they get fired. So we’ll adapt, and I’m looking forward to the challenge of it.”

It might sound a bit oversimplified but it is the fundamental truth of football. Look back through history. Often the teams that win championships are the ones constantly able to invent and reinvent themselves. Being able to stay ahead of the curve in some form or facet. Believe it or not the Bears used to be one of those teams. Yet somewhere along the way they got lost.

Chicago Bears adaptability has been slumbering for years

There’s nothing with taking pride in the history of your franchise. That’s part of what makes football great. At the same time it feels like the Bears and their fans are clinging to it a little too much these days. Perhaps because the franchise is mired in old traditions. Can anybody remember the last time they were at the forefront of anything? It wasn’t always that way.

There was a time that Chicago was the envy of the football world. Much of this thanks to the tireless efforts of team owner and founder George Halas. During the early days of his football career he embraced all sorts of new innovations for the sport. Among them included daily practices, tarps covering the field and putting assistant coaches in the press box. Among his biggest contributions was bringing the T-formation offense to the NFL, which ushered in the Bears dynasty of the 1940s.

It didn’t end there though. Halas kept trying new things in the years to come. Among the most unheralded of his achievements was turning the tight end position into an offensive weapon. No team was doing it when he introduced Mike Ditka to the world in the 1960s. Not long after that though Halas retired, and the forward-thinking seemed to stop completely.

Buddy Ryan remains last true pioneer the Bears have employed

It wasn’t until 1978 when the Bears hired a chubby, brash young coach from Minnesota named Buddy Ryan where the creative juices started flowing again. As the NFL began shifting towards more of a passing league, teams were looking for ways to stop quarterbacks from having so much success. From this Ryan crafted the now iconic “46 defense.” It was a layered scheme with a simple object:  throw as many defenders at the quarterback as it takes to get him on the ground.

Indeed when Ryan truly started to implement that defense in the early 1980s, opponents were completely baffled. They didn’t have any idea how to counter it. As a result the Bears suffocated teams like few others have in history. Their 1984 team still holds the NFL record in sacks. Their 1986 team held the record for fewest points allowed for 14 years. Yet the 1985 team was the best of the bunch, pitching back-to-back shutouts in the playoffs en route to a Super Bowl championship.

Since then it always feels like another franchise is at the forefront of the next big thing in the NFL. The 49ers ushered in the West Coast offense. Cincinnati and Buffalo introduced the no-huddle. Pittsburgh brought about the zone-blitz scheme. Those are just some of the example and all led to huge success for their respective franchises.

It’s clear Nagy and his staff are anxious to put Chicago back on the map. How will they do this? That’s what they’re banding together to find out.

People might be underestimating how much this Chicago Bears roster is about to change. GM Ryan Pace may have been the architect of it. That much is true. However, he did so in concert with former head coach John Fox. With Fox gone the time is coming for Matt Nagy to put his own vision into practice. It’s Pace’s job to help him with that.

This could mean that the roster fans have grown familiar with in the past couple years may be about to undergo some significant changes. This is not to say a full-on demolition is looming. There’s no reason. The Bears have much more young talent in place than they did in 2015. This “purge” will be more about shuffling out some veterans who may have grown too expensive.

I spoke with a source who explained that no action should be expected from the team over the next few weeks. However, once the final games are in the rear view mirror the action should really start to pick up.

“Bears will now kick back and relax and wait out the Super Bowl. Expect them to be active and start the releases After. Several names will be cut. A lot of the higher price players.”

Chicago Bears roster doesn’t feature a ton of “safe” high-priced names

The fact is the Bears are already in a healthy salary cap situation. According to overthecap.com they could have upwards of $41 million in salary cap space as is. That would change drastically if they were to unload some of their top contracts. Many of them don’t have a lot of dead money in terms of guarantees were they removed.

Looking over the top 20 names on the Bears payroll going into 2018, there are perhaps eight who can be considered a lock to be the team. The rest are in various shades of gray.

1. Mike Glennon
2. Akiem Hicks*
3. Kyle Long*
4. Josh Sitton
5. Pernell McPhee 
6. Danny Trevathan*
7. Mitchell Trubisky*
8. Dion Sims
9. Bobby Massie
10. Charles Leno Jr.*
11. Markus Wheaton
12. Marcus Cooper
13. Willie Young
14. Kevin White
15. Leonard Floyd*
16. Jerrell Freeman
17. Quintin Demps
18. Eddie Goldman*
19. Eric Kush
20. Adam Shaheen*

In fact if the Bears were to cut just Glennon, Sitton, McPhee, Sims and Massie? Their cap would jump by another $39 million. GM Ryan Pace would have all the flexibility in the world both to retain in-house free agents and go shopping for upgrades on the market if he wished. If all the names not market by an asterisk were cut? The Bears would have $103 million in cap space.

Odds are the purge won’t run entirely that deep but it stands to reason a number of the older players are likely out. Young, McPhee, Demps, Freeman and Sitton have breached the 30-year old barrier. Pace has shown he doesn’t hang on to such types long if they aren’t producing. Glennon also should be considered gone since he holds the most expensive contract and is no longer the starting quarterback.

Either way expect a lot of movement in the next 30 days.