Each year, several veterans end up cut by their teams before the start of the regular season. That will likely be the case this year for the Chicago Bears. The Bears are trying to win now, but they could still release a few notable players who survived the pre-free agency cuts.
The Bears would likely try to trade most of these players before cutting them, but more often than not, the players are simply cut. That was the case with players like WR Eddie Royal, whom Chicago already released This list only focuses on some of the more notable players, which means we're ignoring the undrafted free agents or other players who don't quite move the needle enough. With that in mind, here are three players the Bears could cut before the season.
RB Benny Cunningham
The Bears simply have too many RBs right now. Jordan Howard is the focal back and Tarik Cohen was a (strange) fourth round pick. It seems highly likely that at least one of the Cunningham / Jeremy Langford / KaDeem Carey trio won’t make the roster. Cunningham carries the least amount of dead money and he lacks the experience in the Bears' scheme. If it's not Cunningham, Carey seems like next up on the block.
OLB Lamarr Houston
The Bears have some good depth at the OLB spot, with Pernell McPhee, Leonard Floyd, Willie Young, Lamarr Houston on the roster, plus veterans like Sam Acho and Dan Skuta. That's probably too many players for the spot, so the Bears could try to save some money but cutting Houston. He barely played last year because of a torn ACL. The Bears didn't draft another edge rusher, which helps Houston's chances, but he is set to count nearly $7 million against the cap. If Houston doesn't look the same in the preseason, the Bears could save over $5 million by cutting him.
S Harold Jones-Quartey
Bleacher Report suggested this one, so I’m including it. And it does make some sense, since Quintin Demps has taken Jones-Quartey's starting spot. And Eddie Jackson is a potential long-term starter at one spot, potentially alongside Adrian Amos. That means Jones-Quartey has to beat out Chris Prosinski and Deon Bush for a spot. Take your pick of which one gets cut: it's going to be a fascinating camp battle. There's no dead money for cutting Jones-Quartey, unlike the other two.
TE Zach Miller
Miller played really well for the Bears last year, so this isn’t a matter of production. Injuries are a worry, but an ideal example might be Matt Slauson. The Bears cut him to get young players more playing time and the same could be true of Miller. After all, they signed Dion Sims to a sizeable deal and drafted Adam Shaheen in round two. But Miller has a small contract, with roughly $1.3 million in savings. If the Bears want Shaheen to play more, the route is to trade Miller and get something back.
WR Reuben Randle
You all remember Randle right? The 2012 second round pick by the New York Giants was supposed to be really good, but has fallen by the wayside. He apparently has work ethic issues that resulted in the Giants and Eagles cutting him. The Bears are giving him another chance, but will he capitalize on it? He has some upside and it’s not like the Bears are loaded at WR. But, he’s failed in two previous stops for a reason.
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