The Chicago Bears are entering an offseason with a lot at stake. While their 2025 NFC Divisional round playoff run was a great one, they now have to retool for the future.
Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and Colston Loveland are great, but on the defensive side of the ball, there are a lot of difficult decisions that need to be made.
Courtney Cronin of ESPN pointed out the trio of difficult decisions to make in the secondary. With a negative $12.7 million in cap space, the decision-making on the free agents in the secondary will be even more difficult for Ryan Poles and Chicago.
Bears face trio of tough FA's amid -$12.7M in cap space
"Given how injuries decimated the secondary, Chicago faces several pressing decisions on whether to retain the players that kept them afloat on defense," Cronin writes.
There are three key free agents worth keeping a close eye on this offseason. Safeties Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, and cornerback Nahshon Wright are the three free-agent defensive backs who could pose a problem for the Bears.
While players like Kyler Gordon and Jaylon Johnson will be back, the production from these defensive backs will be hard to replace in 2026.
In the case of Brisker and Kyard, re-signing both might prove difficult, especially with their limited cap space.
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Wright's even trickier to figure out. He had a breakout 2025 season, but as a veteran with years of mediocre film, there's a concern this would be a random one-year wonder.
All three of these free agents, ideally, could come back on reasonable contracts. But teams around the league will likely want to bring in these defensive backs after their strong 2025 seasons for the Bears.
Poles and the Bears' front office will have three very difficult decisions to make. All three have a case to come back, but with the limited cap space in Chicago, this won't be an easy offseason.
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