Bear Digest

Ben Johnson's Bears fits from potential salary cap cut victims

Salary cap cuts come before free agency and one website's list of potential available players could find fits in Chicago because of Bears coaches.
Gene Chamberlain|
Lions receiver Kalif Raymond tries to reach out from the grasp of former Bears safety Deon Bush at Soldier Field.
Lions receiver Kalif Raymond tries to reach out from the grasp of former Bears safety Deon Bush at Soldier Field. | Quinn Harris-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Before the start of free agency in March comes the mad dash to find cash.

This is when teams attempt to get down to the salary cap, if they're over it. In other words, it's panic time for the New Orleans Saints and other teams who annually find they've mismanaged funds.

The Saints are picked on here as they're notorious for this. The Bears usually don't need to worry these days but do have needs for bringing in players.

With Bears coaching hires, the possibility always exists players who wind up as cap cut victims could eventually follow a coordinator or coach who they've had success under to their new team.

The bigger attraction is always dollars but some players see this as their best ticket to more pay days or more success or both.

Overthecap.com has posted a percentage-based, cap-cut projection list and among players named are some who might be of interest to the Bears based on their ties to Ben Johnson and his coaching hires.

The thing to remember about moves of this type is players tend to be older or at least past their peak time in the league. Those who aren't would find a great deal more money in the open market.

The list was only a projection and some of the players listed are not going to be leaving their teams. Typical of this is Overthecap.com listing T.J. Edwards on here, mainly because his contract expires after 2025. The Bears are in no position to be cutting Edwards or forcing him to give back money.

It's less so with Tremaine Edmunds, who is also listed here, but it's not as if they have a middle linebacker as athletically gifted as Edmunds and still as young as he is, so that type of drastic cut won't happen with the Bears.

Here are some of the potential cap cut victims who could be of interest from other teams based on Overthecap.com projections.

WR Kalif Raymond, Detroit

The Lions have five players on this list but only Raymond among offensive players who would know Johnson's offense. That kind of knowledge is invaluable for the coaches and players. Not only that, but Raymond also can be a special teams performer. But at $5.25 million average on his deal and $4.9 for the 2025 cap, the Lions might find it better to get younger. In fact, OTC says his chance of a negative fate in this situation in Detroit is 76.8%, which is very high. At 31, he's still at an age to be valuable and could help in the slot where the Bears are likely to need help if Keenan Allen leaves, as could be the case.

WR Josh Reynolds, Jacksonville

Just like Raymond, Reynolds has a history with Ben Johnson in Detroit and not only that, last year he was with teams where Press Taylor and  Declan Doyle were coaches. Reynolds is fairly versatile even though he's built more like an X receiver but the Bears know how valuable he  can be at times as an extra target. He used to make a habit of burning them for first downs on big downs. At $4.5 million cost, the Jaguars are unlikely to keep him around.

DT Khalen Saunders, New Orleans

Drafted by the Chiefs out of Western Illinois in Round 3 when Ryan Poles was still with the team, he played only a backup role there as mainly a run-stopper type until leaving in free agency. Dennis Allen's Saints made good use of him after, he had a career-high 3 1/2 sacks in 2022 at KC when he saw extensive time off the bench. As a starter for the Saints he had 57 and 43 tackles the last two years. A At a rate of $4.1 million, it's projected he'd be a cap cut because the Saints are going to need to cut everyone except the janitors at their practice facility. For someone who is experienced as a possible role player behind Andrew Billings, and one who knows the Dennis Allen defense, the Bears could do much worse.

S Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans

The Bears already have one safety but "the Honeybadger" has been a catalyst type and even at 33 years old for this season could add seasoned experience in Allen's system. He has an average of $6.87 million but if he's cut for cap purposes, the Bears could be interested. Kevin Byard is slated to receive more at $7.5 million. And Byard is even on this list as a potential cut victim with a low 53.7% likelihood of departure. He played too well last year to think they'd want to part with him.

TE Foster Moreau, New Orleans

Moreau is a tight end who was in the Saints offense when Dennis Allen was their head coach in 2023 and 2024. He has 144 career catches and would be a good second tight type with projections Gerald Everett would be a cap cut victim by the Bears. Moreau was at $4.2 million cap cost.

DT Nathan Shepherd, New Orleans

Another Saints defensive tackle who initially didn't play as much in a good defense with the Jets, then started two seasons under Allen for the Saints and made 87 tackles and five sacks. At $6.25 million cap cost for the cash-strapped team this year, it seems virtually certain he'd be on the cap cut list. Cameron Jordan is another player on this list but at 36 and after he said some things in the past that were not entirely supportive of Allen, it seems the Bears would be more likely to focus on the lower-priced cap cuts.

DT D.J. Reader, Detroit

The Lions brought Reader in last year but his big $11.37 million cap hit makes him expendable according to OTC, and they see a 62.9% chance he wouldn't be back—at least on those terms. Reader was an excellent player for the Bengals but had some injury issues with Detroit and also in the past had said some things not so much against Ryan Poles but more in support of his friend and former teammate Larry Ogunjobi after the infamous first Poles signing of free agency in 2022. Ogunjobi failed the physical and Reader was supporting his friend, who was upset about how everything went down.

TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville

OTC is giving a 72% chance of Engram not being on the Jaguars roster or at least getting is $13.75 million average even after he has been productive. Taylor was with the Jaguars for three years and knows what the U-type tight end can do when he is healthy and starting.

WR Christian Kirk, Jacksonville

He's going into Year 4 with the Jaguars. Coming off a broken collarbone, it's possible they might want him taking a paycut but it's a new coaching staff and it's tough to tell. Either way, spending on a receiver in that price range where Kirk dwells doesn't seem like a Bears thing for this year, when they need line help. Besides, Kirk does pretty much for Jacksonville what DJ Moore does.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.