Numbers show how the Bears will be a completely different team in 2022
Roster turnover in the NFL is a given. Teams lose ample amounts of players each year for various reasons. It's the nature of the sport and a byproduct of the salary cap. But there are some teams who completely revamp the roster during the offseason. In 2022, the Chicago Bears are one of those teams. […]
Roster turnover in the NFL is a given. Teams lose ample amounts of players each year for various reasons. It's the nature of the sport and a byproduct of the salary cap.
But there are some teams who completely revamp the roster during the offseason. In 2022, the Chicago Bears are one of those teams.
The Bears had 27 unrestricted free agents heading into the 2022 offseason. So far, only two have re-signed with the team. 17 of the 27 have signed deals elsewhere, marking their official exits from the franchise. All 17 players were on the Bears 53-man roster in 2021, at one point.
Chicago is well within a league of its own in regard to the latter number. The other 31 NFL teams have lost an average of six unrestricted free agents in free agency per team and the next-highest count is the Las Vegas Raiders with 10 lost UFAs. Even bottom-feeders like the Lions and cash-strapped teams like the Saints lost no more than four UFAs.
Simultaneously, 10 new players have been signed to the team. In all, there's a (-25) player differential when it comes to the Bears' 2022 roster.
And we're only in the beginning of April. The draft will also displace some players that are currently rostered and will cement the departures of the some of the remaining UFAs.
This isn't a sign of dysfunction, by any means, but it is definitely a sign of a rebuild. The Bears are going to have a completely new roster and team in 2022 by design. This is what needs to happen if the franchise wants to distance itself from the Matt Nagy/Ryan Pace era as soon as possible.
Honestly, that's the best way to go about it. Too many times have we seen a new regime come in and try to salvage what's left to no avail rather than stripping it down and starting over.
The Bears are doing the latter and the numbers reflect it. While this will be a completely different team in 2022, who knows, it could bring about the best situation for 2022 and hopefully, beyond.
Featured image via Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
