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Cutting or trading Dexter gets you $1.6M in cap space. But like you say, this is his last year. If you can trade him and get something, great. But unless there is a defensive line coach pounding on the table for another year to unlock Dexter, I think you might even just let him go for the $1.6M, especially if you're restocking that room like I'll bet we are. All in all, I think theres gonna be a lot of changes on the defense. Possibly three new starters on the DL, at least one new LB, and at least one new S. Thats half the Defense, and it could be more. Another CB maybe, another LB, who knows. If you cut Sweat you gain $6.9M of cap space. If you trade him, it's $17M. Doubt anyone wants to pay him $17M, but I'm just putting it out there, even just cutting him, in case we do sign a premiere Edge rusher. I mean, i think we will keep him, but I'm just putting the cap numbers out there.

Dayo did pretty good as a run defender. I think that is what DA wants in his DEs first. If that was his purpose, he filled the role until injury. If we want a sack artist that can also hold the edge, Myles Garrett comes to mind. Gonna be expensive. The player from Mizzou seems to fit our profile for DE. I feel they also need to get at least one premiere DT but I would get two with the first 4 picks. Not counting on Dexter for much after his contract is up.

I like all of this. I wonder about Turner. hes going to be an interesting guy in the mix. I wonder if the coaches can really depend on him enough that it would affect their draft plans. I kind of doubt it. I think youre right they could get a free agent DT, and/or double up on the position in the draft, and then throw Turner and Dexter in there too. Youd find a rotation in there somewhere for sure. I wish we could trade Grady Jarrett too, but like Dayo, it costs $2M more to cut him before June 1st. If you cut him after June 1st, you gain $2M, but too late. But if we could find a trade partner, wed gain $11M of cap space, but who wants to pay that guy $11M this year?

I'd cut him on production too, but cap wise there is an issue. If you cut him before June 1st, you actually lose $1.5M of cap space. It's cheaper to keep him and just not dress him. If you cut him after June 1st, you get $16M in cap room, which is awesome, but you cant have that money during free agency and the draft, so it doesn't help with free agent signings. We might have to do this anyway. Maybe we can use that money to get back a void year on someone after June 1st, but I dunno if you can do that twice in the same off season to the same player? If we could TRADE him though, then we'd open up $11.5M in space. But someone would have to want to pay him that $11.5M somewhere else, and I dunno if anyone does. So whatever we do with him, we can't use the cap space it would bring when we need it, unless we find a trade partner. Maybe a player swap where we take on another player that needs a change of scenery and also brings a $12M cap number, so like a player swap? It wouldnt give cap relief, but it would change Dayp into a different toad, maybe one our coaches think they can rehabilitate?

One thing we never see is cash flow. Cutting a useless player like Dayo has cap implications of course but perhaps it frees up cash that can be put toward another player's bonus/salary this season and that's a win IMO. While I might be totally off my rocker on thinking that, I feel like that is a factor for organizations at times in terms of how free agency gets approached. That said I do not want to spend big on an aging player like Hendrickson. While I'd love having a DE that can fly around the edge, that is not Hendrickson by the way, interior pass rush is just much more effective. I also feel that Sweat and Booker are both good enough at compressing the pocket and then getting off blocks to catch a QB when he has to get away from inside pressure. The piece I don't know is what they think of Shemar Turner. He fits in that same category of a DE who can compress the pocket a bit and then get off the block to make a play...but he's not going to run around anyone. 4th on my depth chart: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka gave us some decent plays as well and he'd be worth bringing back as a depth piece IMO. With that, my focus this offseason will be figuring out how to stop the run up the middle and how to get pressure up the middle. If there is to be a good FA addition I'd prefer it be a DT. DTs are usually cheaper than edge players. Then I'm drafting 2 DTs early. Any of the top 5 DTs in the draft helps us...period. Just take one. I'd love a trade back to the end of the 1st Rd and find a way to get 4 top 100 picks. One of the top 5 DTs is likely to be on the board late 1st so unless we fall in love with one of them just take the one that remains on the board. Then we've got 3 more top 100 picks to get S, LB, and another DT. There are a couple DTs I like that are more pass rushers than run defenders that I think can be had around 100-115: Gracen Halton, Zane Durant, or Skyler Gill-Howard. That again is where Shemar Turner fits in because if the coaches want him in that 3-tech role vs. DE then we have to switch up the plan and go DT/DE. That might have to be in the 2nd Rd or at the farthest back a 3rd Rd pick to get a contributor in the rotation. Either way, I prefer Rd 1 go to DT.

I'm leaning toward cutting Dayo. He won't be full speed this season, so why not take the hit now. If Nate Davis was never a Bear, he would easily be Poles worst signing. Also, if we can sign Hendrickson, if put Sweat on the block. All four upfront should be explosive. The track record shows, this is how the Superbowl is won.

Loveland and Burden make our attack scary. I couldn't imagine having that Jamyr Gibbs back that can take ot to the house any touch. We will have to wait for that luxury since the defense needs about 5 quality players imo.

Lots of these. They fire me when I watch them. We are going to be very good.

Another one for consideration. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1C3as23SB7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://youtube.com/shorts/BjfnPOipSbk?si=2-TJK4IU5oveswTD

https://youtube.com/shorts/gj1QmqYbH9A?si=KQXIfoiJUpsmqTSw

This is a good article and I love your sense of humor. They don't have a first round pick this year.

Exhibit 1 https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1MfG8jFpHz/

Since we’re talking Bears vs Packers I’ll toss in this nugget as well with Caleb ranked in the top ten. Jordan Love ranked lower. I don’t necessarily agree with all this but it might be better worded as ranking last years QB performances. Nobody on the planet is taking Drake Maye 4 ahead of Mahomes 13. https://www.nfl.com/news/ranking-all-63-starting-quarterbacks-from-the-2025-nfl-season

I’m sure the Packers can make up for it with their first round pick this year. https://www.windycitygridiron.com/chicago-bears-analysis/111019/the-chicago-bears-had-the-best-2025-rookie-class-while-the-packers-had-the-worst

I started watching, will have to finish later, but pretty cool. Ive only drafted a couple times, but the playing gm is interesting woth restructures etc.

Here's a mock off season. I don't agree with everything but it's not bad. I think this is the site PHX mentioned.

In 2027 we have 70 mil space and 2028 288 mil. According to OTC. We have future money to play with. Poles set up for everything to gone the year we have to pay Caleb. I think what some are overlooking are improvements coming from injured players coming back and players growing. We are now a contender so the major changes won't be necessary. Offense: if everyone comes back with our roster, we have a question at LT with potential assets of Theo, Kiran or move Wright. So we need to resign a restricted FA McFadden and add another OL. Besides the starters we have Newman, McFadden and Theo or Kiran. Stromberg has a futures contract. So add 1 maybe 2. QB is good TE has two with Carlson and Cathlic. Add 1? RB has 3 and Brown and Haskins. Add 1 if Johnson is gone. WR has the top 3 back with Walker with several end of the roster types.Add 1 or 2? The offense has a few minor adjustments to make. The defense has Jarrett healthy for now , Dayo coming back? Booker and Sweat as starters, Turner coming back and Dexter. Several end of the roster players.We are going to add 3 maybe 4. LBers have Edmunds ( if not cut) Edwards, Amen, Sewell, Hyppolite. A couple end of the roster players. They need 2? CBs are good if everyone is healthy. JJ, Stevenson, Gordon, Blackwell and Terrell Smith. Zak Fraiser is a ❓ Several end of the roster players. Ss , we need 4. We can add help in the draft, resign a few FAs, FAs and if we trade for someone. We can get that all done with restructure of contracts and a few cuts. Now if we get a high end guy we will have to add more Cap space. Overall we are not that far away. We have 57 signed for next year.

The issue is we are 5 million in the hole. Every restructure pushes more cap into 27 and 28. I believe they cut Edmunds and restructure DJ to add 32 million. Take 8 mil for rookie pool, 5 mil to get under cap, which leaves about 19 million to sign a starting S and LB and have emergency cap to spend in season. Draft, they need to nail a starting DT, S, and possibly LT and DE. They can create a little more with restructures but they lose future cap or increase the dead cap making it harder to cut those players down the road. I would talk to Thuney about an extension to retire here.

I think the concept of being on a SB bound team may keep him here on a user friendly deal. He's not a tier one so no one is giving him that kind of money. I would give him a 2 year extension with the last year voidable to get this years cap space down. 27-28 are cap friendly years before we have to pay Caleb.

So Swift is definitely replaceable, he is not the best back possible, but replacing him would require some resources, and Swift is doing a pretty good job for us. He surely had a much better season that i thought was possible during the preseason. I feel like Bienemy unlocked him in ways I hadnt seen before. So I expect we will keep him this year. Maybe we will go for a free agent, but with the defensive overhaul looming, I expect Swift is here for at least this coming year.

Adam if you want to put that together, I'll take a 100 share.

I have to wait until I get home anyway. I'll do a search to find the best odds. +200 is +200, I'll take what I can get. After this coming year, we won't be getting big odds for a long time.

He might if he thinks he can still get one last big payday after the extension expires. Or if he wants a shot at winning superbowl, maybe he takes less. On another note, David Montgomery has expressed he'd like out of Detroit. It would be a good story if he came back but a) looking at ways to create cap and b) him and Monangua are both thunder guys.

I Think at best I’d give him a 2 year extension. One I could get out of in the last year if I want to.