Cutting and Hacking and Saving for Bears

The Eddie Goldman the Bears saw from 2015-2019 never returned to Halas Hall and won't.

The Bears are releasing their nose tackle, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, in another cost-cutting measure designed to help in rebuilding the team. Goldman's departure will save the Bears $6.86 million in cap space, and they add another $5.2 million to their growing amount of dead cap space.

The move also makes it so they'd save another $9.2 million in 2023 with $2.2 million more dead cap added.

The Bears will have cleared away almost $18 million in cap space in two days after the reported decisions to cut Goldman, waive Tarik Cohen and cut Danny Trevathan, one day after they cleared $6.1 million by trading Khalil Mack. They had just under $24 million available under the cap heading into Friday, according to Overthecap.com.

While they could come into free agency among the top-10 team in terms of available cash, they can't spend too freely because they are expected to put together a contract extension for Roquan Smith and possibly David Montgomery

The NFL Network report said the team tried trading Goldman but couldn't find a team willing to absorb his big contract, which was to account for over $11 million of Bears cap space for 2022. Goldman's departure doesn't appear purely monetarily related.

The switch to a 4-3 defense makes Goldman sort of like a factor worker replaced by automation. There is no role for him in the Bears defense. He is used as a two-gap plug who occupies blockers. The new defense has players attacking upfield in gaps, a single gap of responsibility each.

Quicker and lighter the theme for their offensive line and this holds true on defense, as well. Defensive linemen well over 300 pounds are not necessarily part of the 4-3.

Goldman enjoyed success from 2017-2019 in Vic Fangio's and Chuck Pagano's defenses, but then opted out in 2020 due to the pandemic.

When he returned in 2021, he struggled.

Pro Football Focus grades players off game film and of 110 interior defensive linemen graded in the NFL last year they had Goldman ranked 107th (39.8 grade), ahead of only Raekwon Davis of Miami (36.5), Leki Fotu of Arizona (37.1) and Hassan Ridgeway of Philadelphia (38.2).

Not surprisingly, the Bears run defense has tailed off. They finished 23rd against the run, their lowest rank since 2016 when Goldman missed 11 games with an ankle injury.

Goldman had career lows of half a sack, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit in 2021. He made 22 tackles, four off of his career low from 2016, a season when he played only six games.

There are three teams in the NFC North using 3-4 defenses and any team using the alignment can use a nose tackle who is in good shape and just 28 years old.

The team the Bears sent Khalil Mack to, the Chargers, could also use a strong inside presence against the run, as could Seattle. Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai is now with the Seahawks as defensive coordinator.

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