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#Post#: 524765--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: JACKIEJOKEMAN REDUX Date: March 4, 2026, 11:45 am
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Fuuck ...
Now what ?
Center first and then Defensive End later and after that
Linebacker ?
How should Halas Hall play this with free agency and the draft
?
Still think Defensive End makes the biggest impact first.
BEARRSSE over the cap ... $7,463,555 .
As long as we are underwater there's not much room to maneuver
.
Unless we get creative like L.A. Dodgers. ;)
#Post#: 524769--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: dallasbear Date: March 4, 2026, 12:53 pm
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Biadasz or McGovern would be pretty good replacements for
Dalman. Linderbaum is 25 and could demand top dollar center
money.
Rams went pretty far in the playoffs with Coleman Shelton at
center - remember him?
Sure would be nice to get that 3rd comp pick...
#Post#: 524770--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: boogie Date: March 4, 2026, 1:37 pm
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I wouldnt exactly hate this:
Welp, back to the drawing board…
Drew Dalman sent shockwaves across the NFL landscape with his
sudden retirement on Tuesday. Only 27 years old and coming off a
Pro Bowl season, his decision to walk away particularly has a
major impact on the Chicago Bears’ offseason strategy.
Not all hope is lost for Chicago, even though losing their star
center throws an unexpected wrench into the situation. They have
plenty of cap space flexibility and opportunities in the draft
to improve their roster, filling needs on defense while still
finding a worthy replacement for Dalman along the offensive
line.
To provide insight on what’s possible for the Bears this
offseason in the wake of this news, I’ve put together my latest
mock offseason, involving free agent signings, trades, a
seven-round mock draft, contract restructures, and extensions.
Without further ado, let’s begin.
Starting cap space after Dalman’s retirement: $2,536,445
Restructures
LG Joe Thuney ($7.6 million)
RG Jonah Jackson ($6.8 million)
CB Jaylon Johnson ($6.9 million)
TE Cole Kmet ($4.395 million)
When you’re restructuring contracts in the NFL, you want to be
confident those players will be on your team in 2027.
Restructuring deals like Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett would
free up plenty of space for the Bears this offseason, but you’d
still be on the hook for heavy salaries for those two players in
2027 without the flexibility to move off of them.
Thuney, Jackson, Johnson, and Kmet stand out as the most likely
candidates to be restructured, since I feel more confident that
they’ll be on the team in 2027. The only reason Thuney wouldn’t
be would be if he retires, at which point the salary aspect of
the conversation becomes moot. I considered Montez Sweat here,
but with $21 million being freed up by releasing him next
offseason, I wanted to keep that option open in case he doesn’t
live up to expectations this coming year.
For those worried about future cap space, don’t be. The Bears
have more flexibility in that regard than you realize. With
these restructures, they would still have over $91 million in
cap space in 2027. That’s more than enough to extend Darnell
Wright and be extremely active in the 2027 free agency period.
They could bump that number up to roughly $119.5 million in cap
space if they release Odeyingbo and Jarrett next offseason, too.
Updated cap space: $21,421,445
Trades
WR DJ Moore to Titans for No. 101 overall ($16.5 million saved)
LB Tremaine Edmunds to Giants for 2027 fourth-round pick ($15
million saved)
These trades are difficult ones to make, given that you’re
sending off two solid starters. However, the price the Bears are
paying for both Moore and Edmunds aren’t reflective of the
production they got out of them in 2025, and with the cap space
in a less-flexible situation than past years, moves will need to
be made.
Trading Moore would free up more touches for younger, ascending
talents like Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland, and Rome
Odunze. Coming off the worst year of his career, Moore wouldn’t
net Chicago a massive haul in a trade. However, acquiring him at
a $16.5 million price would be much more enticing to NFL teams
than the $28.5 million cap hit he has for the Bears this year.
The Titans would be smart to investment in a veteran receiver
for Cam Ward to throw to, given the desperate state of their
offense.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler floated around the Giants as a team
interested in trading for Edmunds. The Bears eat up a much
lighter percentage of dead cap from Edmunds’ contract than they
would in a Moore trade, making the return a little bit lighter
in this specific trade. Rather than settle for a fifth-round
pick in 2026, I like the idea of Chicago acquiring future draft
capital at a discounted price.
Updated cap space: $52,921,445
53-man roster cutdowns
The Bears won’t be cutting these players prior to training camp,
but this will be factored in our eventual year-end cap
situation. Releasing players I don’t have on my final projected
53-man roster frees up some additional cap space and provides
some more spending room.
Per OverTheCap, these are the players who meet the top 51 cutoff
whom I would either have on the practice squad or subject to
free agency:
DL Jonathan Garvin
TE Stephen Carlson
DB Dallis Flowers
WR Maurice Alexander
TE Nikola Kalinic
LB Nephi Sewell
RB Brittain Brown
OL Kyle Hergel
DL Jamree Kromah
LB Dominique Hampton
DB Gervarrius Owens
LS Luke Elkin
DB Dontae Manning
DL Jeremiah Martin
Updated cap space: $67,261,445
Future extensions
RT Darnell Wright: Three years, $67.5 million ($22.5 million a
year)
This extensions ensure that one of the biggest bright spots of
the Bears’ offense would be locked down in the long haul. Wright
would be the fourth-highest paid right tackle in the NFL at this
salary, which is about fair value for where he stands around the
league currently.
Extensions
FS Kevin Byard: Two years, $24 million ($12M AAV, $6.5M cap hit
in 2026)
LT Braxton Jones: One year, $3.5 million
LB D’Marco Jackson: One year, $2.5 million
SS/CB C.J. Gardner Johnson: One year, $2.5 million
QB Case Keenum: One year, $2 million
WR Olamide Zaccheaus: One year, $1.2 million
LS Scott Daly: One year, $1.2 million
TE Durham Smythe: One year, $1.2 million
LG Jordan McFadden: One year, $1.2 million (RFA)
None of these extensions really stand out as wild, since a
majority of them serve as depth retention.
I anticipate Kevin Byard will have a competitive market among
teams looking to win now, which is why I have his annual salary
average a little higher than where most outlets project him at.
If he takes less than $12 million a year, that’s even better for
the Bears. Besides, if there’s someone you’re willing to pay a
little extra to in the short term, it’s someone coming off an
All-Pro season in which he led the NFL in interceptions.
D’Marco Jackson and Braxton Jones would compete for a starting
position on the roster, or at least the latter would until Ozzy
Trapilo comes back. I still see a lot of value in having a
healthy Jones on the roster, given his starting experience,
length, athleticism, and knowledge of the playbook. If he wants
to come back to Chicago, it’s worth bringing him back as a
stopgap for 2026. Jackson impressed in the starting time he got
this past year, and he brings deep experience working under
Dennis Allen, so he’s someone I find to be an ideal LB3 (third
linebacker, not to be confused with Luther Burden III).
Updated cap space: $45,461,445
Free agent additions
C Tyler Linderbaum: Three year, $63 million ($21M AAV, $12M cap
hit in 2026)
EDGE Khalil Mack: One year, $12 million
SS Kamren Curl: Two years, $17.5 million ($8.75M AAV, $5M cap
hit in 2026)
DT Levi Onwuzurike: One year, $2 million
WR Tutu Atwell: One year, $2 million
Right after the news broke of Dalman’s retirement, Albert Breer
of Sports Illustrated reported that the Bears have “sniffed
around” Tyler Linderbaum, the consensus top offensive lineman
available on the open market. He won’t come cheap, and there
will surely be several teams vying for his services. That said,
Chicago is the closest NFL city to Linderbaum’s hometown of
Solon, Iowa, he’s a perfect scheme fit in Ben Johnson’s
zone-heavy run scheme, and he’d get the chance to start for a
playoff team with two talented guards playing next to him.
A Khalil Mack reunion in Chicago would be a beautiful thing from
a nostalgia perspective, but he’d be much more than a familiar
face for Bears fans. He’s still an effective edge rusher with
tremendous play strength and a deep arsenal of moves he can use
to pressure the quarterback and stop the run. Dennis Allen was
also Mack’s head coach in his rookie year with the Raiders in
2014.
I consider Kamren Curl to be an upgrade over Jaquan Brisker in
the Bears’ secondary. Curl has missed only eight games in his
six seasons in the NFL and will be only 27 years old at the end
of March. Curl allowed a passer rating of just 83.8 for the Rams
in 2025, which ranks third among the 17 top safeties slated to
hit free agency this offseason. He’s also a physical, reliable
tackler with a sub-10% missed tackle rate this past season.
With my final two roster spots that I didn’t allocate to draft
picks, I added some depth at defensive tackle and wide receiver.
Levi Onwuzurike missed all of 2025 with an ACL tear, but in
2024, he won on 16.2% of his pass-rushing snaps. For reference,
that’s higher than any of the top interior defenders in this
free agent class. John Franklin-Myers won 12.7% of reps in 2025.
None of the Bears’ primary interior defenders in 2025 reached
even a 10% win rate. Tutu Atwell has been inconsistent in the
NFL, but his elite speed could make him a fun gadget piece for
Johnson’s offense in Chicago.
Updated cap space: $12,461,445
2026 Bears mock draft
These picks were chosen using PFSN’s free NFL Mock Draft
Simulator:
Looking back on this mock draft, I wanted to invest a little
more capital in the edge rusher position. However, the value of
Anthony Hill Jr. in the second round was too good for me to pass
up, and I started seeing edge rushers I liked go off the board
early in the third round.
Peter Woods would provide the Bears with a potential three-down
starter at defensive tackle who can rush the passer and defend
the run with his impressive quickness, hand usage, and spatial
awareness through contact. Hill’s athleticism, processing speed,
and relentless demeanor should see him rack up big tackling
numbers in the NFL right out of the gate. If you don’t think
he’d be available at No. 57, you can easily swap him in for
Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez or Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, and it
would still be good value, nonetheless.
Knowing my wide receiver room was a little thin after trading DJ
Moore, I moved up to select UConn’s Skyler Bell. He’s a quick,
shifty route runner who can separate inside and outside and has
impressive body control across the middle of the field. I traded
back from the Titans’ pick I got from Moore in a pick swap I
utilized to move up for Bell. While moving back, I still managed
to pick up a hard-hitting, explosive safety with a 6’3”,
206-pound frame in VJ Payne. He has the physical tools to be a
starter someday, but I can see him being a killer on special
teams right away.
With the final two picks, I added some depth to the trenches
with long-armed prospects on both sides of the ball. JC Davis
has impressive physicality at the point of attack with the
strength to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage, as well
as having the spatial awareness to pick up exotic rush looks in
pass protection. George Gumbs Jr. is a little lighter for a
Dennis Allen defensive end, but he has 33 5/8-inch arms, an
explosive first step, and impressive bend turning the corner.
Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he’s a Chicago native. Ryan Poles
loves those.
53-man roster
QB (3): Caleb Williams, Tyson Bagent, Case Keenum
RB (3): D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, Roschon Johnson
WR (6): Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Skyler Bell, Olamide
Zaccheaus, Tutu Atwell, Jahdae Walker
TE (3): Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe
OT (5): Darnell Wright, Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, JC Davis,
Kiran Amegadjie (with Ozzy Trapilo on injured reserve)
OG (4): Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, Luke Newman, Jordan McFadden
C (1): Tyler Linderbaum
EDGE (5): Montez Sweat, Khalil Mack, Austin Booker, Dayo
Odeyingbo, George Gumbs Jr.
DT (5): Gervon Dexter, Peter Woods, Grady Jarrett, Levi
Onwuzurike, Shemar Turner
LB (5): T.J. Edwards, Anthony Hill Jr., D’Marco Jackson, Noah
Sewell, Ruben Hyppolite II
CB (6): Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Josh
Blackwell, Terell Smith, Zah Frazier
S (4): Kevin Byard, Kamren Curl, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, VJ Payne
ST (3): Cairo Santos, Tory Taylor, Scott Daly
#Post#: 524774--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: Bears4Ever Date: March 4, 2026, 2:33 pm
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Here's hoping the Bears win the SB this year. As a side benefit,
then the Bears can have a Nelson Muntz "Ha Ha !" at his
expense...... :D
#Post#: 524829--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: Grizzlybear34 Date: March 5, 2026, 4:48 am
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[quote author=VJ link=topic=668.msg524757#msg524757
date=1772638688]
@_NickWhalen
2025 PFF grades for centers
Zone run blocking:
Linderbaum = 84.1
Biadasz = 66.2
McGovern = 62.1
Dalman = 79.2
Gap run blocking:
Linderbaum = 67.8
Biadasz = 67.2
McGovern = 71.7
Dalman = 65.2
True Pass set blocking grade:
Linderbaum = 61.2
Biadasz = 68.5
McGovern = 68.0
Dalman = 57.6
10:40 PM · Mar 3, 2026
[/quote]
Based on these stats alone, Biadasz would be decent, but not the
zone run blocking scheme fit that the Bears want.
#Post#: 524830--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: Grizzlybear34 Date: March 5, 2026, 4:49 am
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Count me in on Peter Woods if he makes it to our pick at 25.
#Post#: 524835--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: wmljohn Date: March 5, 2026, 8:25 am
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[img]
HTML https://scontent-iad3-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/647092772_1537663537897544_6112028572879758861_n.jpg?stp=cp6_dst-jpg_tt6&_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=7b2446&_nc_ohc=0bOT8zQ89ZQQ7kNvwEAgSaV&_nc_oc=AdlbMDTsCoR90kOVELXFOc7jNk6JoYoOxqVN7-MRN_TnVlFjL9Ku-E01IK3fnByGdDU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-iad3-2.xx&_nc_gid=IN4Tfi3-7DSAl5JwBuiSKg&_nc_ss=8&oh=00_AfwaVsmz61e0uifWKTlbA8AAICSTLq8kHvrfjf-bV6l2Kw&oe=69AF76A3[/img]
#Post#: 524846--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: Dave23 Date: March 5, 2026, 10:49 am
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DJ to Buffalo…no word on return yet…
#Post#: 524849--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: chifaninva Date: March 5, 2026, 11:01 am
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Well, at least he went to a decent team. I hate like heck to see
him go. Like they say, it's a fukking business..
#Post#: 524851--------------------------------------------------
Re: 2026 Chicago Bears
By: chifaninva Date: March 5, 2026, 11:04 am
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I'm seeing we're getting a mid-round pick... WTF?
Well, I guess we just freed up a bunch of cap...
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