The Chicago Bears are sitting in a really good spot going into the offseason, and things got even better based on the recent salary cap news for all 32 teams.

The Bears will have between roughly $67 million and $71 million in available cap space based on the new projections and four selections in the Top-75 picks in April's draft.

That's quite a haul to hopefully turn this team around and fill in the remaining holes on the roster entering the first season under head coach Ben Johnson and his new staff.

And with a few strategic decisions, general manager Ryan Poles can create even more space for some big signings. Based on the Bears' current books for 2025, the front office could decide to move on from some players and free up a solid chunk of space.

Three players especially have been commonly linked as likely cap casualties: tight end Gerald Everett ($5.5 million in savings), defensive end DeMarcus Walker ($5.25 million) and offensive lineman Ryan Bates ($4 million).

Out of those three, Everett is the most likely to get cut, and the other two will be 50/50 calls for the front office. Walker is a locker room leader in Chicago and a productive player on the defensive front and Bates had an injury-riddled first season with the Bears after being acquired for a fifth-round pick last offseason.

Improvements can be argued for all three positions and the savings speak for themselves. But, looking at the rest of the books, Poles is going to have even harder decisions to make with three other players on the defensive side of the ball who are starting to be mentioned as potential cut candidates.

Linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and safety Kevin Byard are all being listed as potential cap casualties as well. All three players were team captains on the defensive side of the ball in 2025 and are beloved inside the organization.

Last week, we discussed the Byard situation. Moving on from the veteran safety would save the Bears $7 million in cap space and only trigger $1.5 million in dead money. But, given the depth at the position, we sided in favor of keeping Byard in 2025.

As for Edmunds and Edwards, could Poles really breakup the team's LB duo who were highly paid free agent signings just two seasons ago? Matt Okada of NFL Network decided to bring up the possibility on Monday.

"Edmunds carries a $17.4 million cap hit, though $13 million of that would remain dead money unless he was designated a post-June 1 cut — and the $6.8 million in cap relief then wouldn't take effect until June, negating the benefit in free agency. Edwards is easier to move on from, with his potential release resulting in $5.5 million in savings." – NFL.com's Matt Okada

So essentially, if one were to go, Edwards would be the one that makes the most sense money-wise. The kicker is that Edwards has been a much better player for the Bears' defense.

In two seasons with the Bears, Edwards has totaled 284 tackles, 6.5 sacks, four interceptions and 10 pass deflections. In that same span, Edmunds (on a much higher salary) has totaled 223 tackles, 1.0 sack, five interceptions, and 15 pass deflections.

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Both players have been very productive for the Bears and fans have loved Edwards considering he has over-performed on his 3-year, $19.5 million deal. The same can't be said for Edmunds who signed a massive four-year, $72 million deal with less production.

At the end of the day, the Bears should do everything in their power to keep all three players, including both linebackers. Byard, Edmunds, and Edwards were all players Ben Johnson mentioned by name as pieces he liked coming into the job on defense.

It doesn't make sense to cut a player like Edwards or Byard and parting ways with Edmunds wouldn't make sense either since it would have to be a post-June 1st cut, after all the top free agents have been signed. If anything, maybe we see a restructure to Edmunds' contract in the near future.

The Bears have plenty of available space already and the team has other cut candidates that make more sense to move on from to free up more space. Byard, Edmunds, and Edwards are huge leaders and deserve to stick around in Chicago.

Bears are in even better shape to make some splashes this offseason to kick off the Ben Johnson Era thanks to latest NFL news

This is great news for everyone.