The Chicago Bears made their first offseason acquisition with the signing of highly-touted CFL cornerback Tre Roberson, who chose the Bears over nine other teams.
Veteran cornerback Prince Amukamara’s future in Chicago was already in question, considering he’s presumed to be a cap-casualty. The Bears can save $9 million by releasing him.
Amukamara has been a solid contributor since joining the Bears in 2017, but his production doesn’t warrant the $10 million he’s owed in 2020. In three seasons, Amukamara has three interceptions, all of which came in 2018. That, and blown coverages and killer penalties have cost the defense at times.
If the Bears choose to release Amukamara, they now have in-house options to replace him. Second-year cornerback Kevin Toliver saw playing time later in the season as Amukamara nursed a hamstring injury.
Then there’s Roberson, who we don’t really know what we’re getting out of him at the NFL level. But he was considered to be the top free agent in the CFL, and several NFL teams believed he could have staying power in the NFL, as evidenced by the 10 that extended him offers.
Even with Toliver and the addition of Roberson, cornerback remains a need for the Bears. Look for the Bears to turn to the NFL Draft and possibly free agency to upgrade the position.
But it seems all but a foregone conclusion at this point that Prince Amukamara won’t be a Chicago Bear in 2020.
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