4 Bears players who could be surprise cuts this offseason

The Chicago Bears finished their 2023 season with a 7-10 record. While that’s a big improvement from 2022, it’s still disappointing for the fans, mainly because the Bears once again missed the playoffs while two division rivals — the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers — made the tournament.

The Lions are one game away from the Super Bowl at the time of this post.

The disappointment deepens when you realize that many players, including some long-time Bears, might not return next season.

We’re just a few weeks away from the NFL’s business season. Roster cuts will come, and players who either aren’t meeting expectations or whose salary is too high will find themselves searching for a new team.

Which Chicago Bears players are at risk of being cut? Here are four likely candidates.

Eddie Jackson

This one hurts. Jackson was one of the leaders of that electric 2018 Chicago Bears team, the one that won the NFC North and came within spitting distance of a playoff win.

Now several years removed, the success from that season feels more like a fluke than anything, but it was still a fun season full of great memories for Bears fans, one of them being the emergence of Eddie Jackson.

Sadly, his play has deteriorated since then. He briefly returned to form in 2022, when he was having an All-Pro season, but an injury robbed him of half the year. He regressed in 2023.

With a cap hit of $18.14 million coming in 2024, it doesn’t make sense for the Bears to keep him around.

Cody Whitehair

Cody Whitehair is another long-time Chicago Bear likely to find himself wearing new colors next year.

Sure, he’s been less-than-stellar in the last few years, to put it kindly. But he started his career in Chicago on excellent footing and has been a reliable member of the offensive line for years, missing just seven games in his eight-year career. But he’s turning 32 and will carry a cap hit of $13.25 million into 2024. While the Bears aren’t exactly strapped for cash, this decision is too easy.

Larry Borom

While Jackson and Whitehair could be cut more for salary cap reasons than performance, Borom is not in the same category. He was decent as a fifth-round rookie in 2021, earning a 61.4 grade from PFF, it’s been downhill for him ever since. Borom has been a backup swing tackle after the drafting of Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, and even in that role, he was unimpressive.

Ryan Poles didn’t draft Borom, and he’s entering the final year of his contract. It’s hard to see the Bears retaining his services any longer, especially if cutting him adds an extra $1 million in salary cap space.

Velus Jones Jr.

While it may be too early to give up on Jones, there’s no denying how deeply disappointing his career has played out so far. He’s been largely relegated to returning kicks, and with that part of special teams slowly dying in the modern NFL, his role has been reduced to a gadget player on offense. He’s shown some flashes, but with a strong class of receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft and probably a veteran or two added in free agency, it could be time to say goodbye to a player who joined the Bears as a punchline.

Poles has already proven that he’s not afraid to cut his losses when a move he made doesn’t work out. Don’t be surprised if he sends another unproductive wide receiver packing.

What do you think, Bears fans? Which veteran players could receive their walking papers this year? Create your free user account (by clicking the show comments button/bubble) and share your opinion! And if you’d like an ad-free experience on Bears Talk, consider upgrading to a premium account. It’s just $3.49 per month (or better yet, $29.99 per year.) You’ll unlock our exclusive NFL Draft content, too. Bear Down!