The Bears have several pending free agents set to hit the open market at the start of the new league year. While Chicago would like to re-sign those free agents, they can’t afford to re-sign all of them.
Four Bears players made NFL.com’s list of the top 101 free agents, all of whom play on defense.
Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix topped the list for the Bears at No. 52. Chicago signed him to a one-year prove-it deal, and he definitely proved that he’s worthy of a long-term deal following a solid 2019 season.
But that’s not likely to come in Chicago, as he’s due to make a lot more in free agency than the Bears can afford. They’ll need to turn elsewhere for help at safety opposite Eddie Jackson.
Clinton-Dix has proven to be a plug-and-play starter who can patrol the back end.
Nick Kwiatkoski, who is believed to be a hot commodity this offseason, clocked in at No. 67 on the list.
Kwiatkoski filled in valiantly for the injured Danny Trevathan, where he had career highs with 76 combined tackles, three sacks, four pass breakups and a safety, as well as one forced fumble in 2019.
One of the most promising backup linebackers early in his Bears career, Kwiatkoski proved to be a playmaking upgrade opposite Roquan Smith when steady starter Danny Trevathan went down with an elbow injury in early November. He’s an intriguing under-the-radar target in a buyer’s linebacker market.
The guy that Kwiatkoski replaced, Trevathan landed at No. 82 on NFL.com’s list. While Trevathan is the older, more injury-prone option at inside linebacker compared to Kwiatkoski, there’s no denying that Trevathan was having a fine season for Chicago before suffering a gruesome elbow injury.
Trevathan had 70 tackles and one sack in 2019 before missing the rest of the season with injury. While he’s a solid option for teams looking for a physical linebacker, his injury history is questionable.
A key cog in two of the decade’s top defenses (2015 Broncos, 2018 Bears), Trevathan is a solid starter and respected leader entering the decline phase of a fine career.
Then there’s cornerback Prince Amukamara, who the Bears released last month, landing at No. 92. Amukamara was a viable option at cornerback for the Bears, but he had a rough 2019 season.
Amukamara spent three seasons with the Bears (2017-19), where he had 29 pass breakups and 3 interceptions. When it came down to it, Chicago couldn’t afford to keep Amukamara (and they saved $9 million in the process.)
Amukamara is back on the free agent market for a fifth time. That’s a sign that he’s good enough to be a starter year after year, but not quite good enough to always stick around.
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