Bears' Updated Cap Space Figure Before 2026 NFL Draft Shows More Moves Are Coming

The Chicago Bears' most recent cap space figures shows general manager Ryan Poles has some work to do, and that work should be coming soon.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears have been limited in what they can do during the 2026 offseason because of a of a cap space crunch.

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bears are working with about $1 million in cap space, according to Spotrac, tied for the lowest amount in the league with the Miami Dolphins.

That is obviously not an ideal situation because Chicago needs more funds to operate the rest of the offseason and through the regular season when it begins in September.

Here's the lowdown on exactly what the Bears need more cap space for, and how they can get it.

Why more Bears moves are coming

The 50th anniversary of the draft selection of Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Bears need to free up funds for multiple reasons.

The most immediate reason is the Bears have to pay their 2026 NFL Draft class, which will be finalized by the weekend. Chicago begins its draft on Thursday and the final day falls on Saturday.

Of course, the Bears may not sign all of those picks right away and, in fact, it's very likely that won't happen. However, those contracts are coming, regardless of when they are signed.

According to Spotrac, the Bears will need about $5.2 million to be able to sign all of its draft picks, of which there are projected to be seven. That number can obviously change, though, depending on if Chicago makes any trades during the draft. Because of general manager Ryan Poles' history, it's more likely the Bears will trade back and add one or more picks, so it's possible more than the $5.2 million will be needed.

Another reason why the Bears need more cap space is the team is going to make signings after the NFL Draft. Not only should the Bears be looking to add veterans to plug holes, they will also be signing undrafted free agents. Last year, the Bears signed 10 UDFAs.

From there, the Bears will need more cap space in order to get through the regular season because signings to fill in holes due to injuries, cuts and whatever else are inevitable.

How Bears can free up more cap space

Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

As we wrote about back in February, the Bears have options in how they can free up cap space because of restructures, so the situation is not as bad as it looks.

According to Over The Cap, the Bears are capable of opening up over $80 million with simple restructures, although they obviously won't get anywhere near close to that number, partly because it would create a nightmare financial situation down the road, and partly because they don't need all that.

There is also the cut and trade avenues the Bears can take. We know cuts could come as soon as after the NFL Draft.

We touched on a trade scenario on Monday with running back D'Andre Swift, who has been the subject of both cut and trade speculation this offseason, partly because of the team's cap crunch, but also because of the emergence of Kyle Monangai.

The Bears are not going to cut Swift, but it's not crazy to think the team could trade him, especially after Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com surmised that the veteran trade market at running back could heat up because of a lackluster class in the draft.

If the Bears were to trade Swift, the move would incur a dead-cap hit of $1.8 million while also saving the Bears $6.9 million, which would pay for Chicago's draft class by itself.

Bottom line: expect some action from the Bears, perhaps in the coming days, but definitely in the coming weeks.