In evaluating Andy Dalton as the Chicago Bears filtered through quarterback options that didn’t involve a blockbuster trade, maybe the most attractive thing about his resume was his ability to win consistently when surrounded by a strong supporting cast.
Dalton helped the Cincinnati Bengals make the playoffs in his first five seasons, when he was paired with a strong defense and had a good offensive line and some quality skill-position players around him. He posted a 50-26-1 record as a starter through those seasons, and while he hasn’t had nearly as much success in the last five years, the talent around him was decaying in Cincinnati and he played behind a makeshift offensive line in Dallas last season after replacing the injured Dak Prescott.
To that end, the Bears’ chances for success this season hinge in part on their ability to be as good as they can be elsewhere on the roster after missing out on the opportunity to trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
So it was a positive sign Wednesday afternoon when the new league year opened and the Bears did not have to make a significant cut to be in compliance with the salary cap, which was set at $182.5 million for the 2021 season.
But the Bears are not in the clear yet. They announced they reached agreement with Dalton on a one-year, $10 million contract and are re-signing right tackle Germain Ifedi to a deal believed to be worth $4 million. Those contracts have not been signed, aren’t official and don’t count against the cap yet.
In other words, the cap-crunching process the Bears have been going through the last few weeks could continue through much of the offseason — and there could be multiple moves in the works.
There was a buzz among multiple teams Wednesday morning that the Bears could wind up releasing cornerback Kyle Fuller in a move that would have saved $11 million against the salary cap. There were also questions about defensive lineman Akiem Hicks.
Both players are entering the final year of their contracts. Fuller is scheduled to earn $14 million with a $20 million cap hit, and Hicks is scheduled to earn $10.5 million with a $12 million cap hit. Both, of course, are foundational pieces of the defense.
Conventional thinking has been the Bears would find a way to sign Fuller to a contract extension to keep him in place for maybe two more years and reduce his cap hit by several million dollars in the process. That might remain a possibility, but no deal has been announced.
On Wednesday night, there were rumblings in league circles that Hicks could be available in a trade. The team would save $10.5 million in cap space if it found a taker for the 31-year-old.
What we do know is the Bears were able to perform other salary-cap gymnastics to be under the cap as the door to free agency swung open. What remains to be seen is what moves they will have to complete moving forward, and they have to remain active to continue fortifying the roster.
Fuller is due to earn a $13 million base salary this season with per-game roster bonuses totaling $500,000 and a $500,000 workout bonus. Because the Bears restructured his contract before the 2019 season finale to create cap space in 2020, his cap hit for 2021 ballooned.
The Bears previously executed restructurings involving outside linebacker Khalil Mack, free safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair that created a little more than $23 million in cap space.
Fuller’s four-year contract, which he signed in 2018 after the Bears matched an offer sheet he signed with the Green Bay Packers, was tied for ninth among cornerbacks at the end of last season with an average annual salary of $14 million. Where the 29-year-old Fuller would slot for an extension remains to be seen.
The Bears got a solid starter opposite Fuller when they selected Jaylon Johnson in the second round last year. They were fortunate the shoulder injury that sidelined Johnson at the end of the season did not require surgery.
Questions remaining in the secondary are who will be the nickel cornerback and who will start at safety alongside Jackson? Duke Shelley and Kindle Vildor are potential options to play nickel. The Bears have a host of safeties now out of contract, including 2020 starter Tashaun Gipson, DeAndre Houston-Carson and Sherrick McManis. Deon Bush agreed to a one-year contract Wednesday.
The Bears would have a much larger question mark if they had to replace Fuller. They would have a hole in the middle of the defensive line if they were without Hicks. Right now, neither is an issue, but a significant move for salary-cap purposes may be needed in this fluid situation.
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