4 players Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears should avoid re-signing before NFL free agency

The Bears' roster is full of holes, but retaining their free agents isn't anywhere close to the answer.
Ryan Poles gazes lovingly at somebody he's about to overpay.
Ryan Poles gazes lovingly at somebody he's about to overpay. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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There’s a distinct possibility that the 2025 Chicago Bears will look very little like the 2024 Chicago Bears.

Considering they finished the season losing ten out of their last 11, the 2025 Bears shouldn’t look like the 2024 Chicago Bears. Any player not named Caleb Williams or Jaylon Johnson should be considered expendable.

Cleaning house would be simple, as Chicago boasts a whopping 32 free agents on their roster:

  • ·      WR Keenan Allen (UFA)
  • ·      DE Darrell Taylor (UFA)
  • ·      OL Coleman Shelton (UFA)
  • ·      LB Amen Ogbongbemiga (UFA)
  • ·      OL Teven Jenkins (UFA)
  • ·      RB Travis Homer (UFA)
  • ·      TE Marcedes Lewis (UFA)
  • ·      LS Patrick Scales (UFA)
  • ·      LB Jack Sanborn (RFA)
  • ·      OL Larry Borom (UFA)
  • ·      CB Jaylon Jones (RFA)
  • ·      CB Josh Blackwell (RFA)
  • ·      DE Jacob Martin (UFA)
  • ·      WR DeAndre Carter (UFA)
  • ·      OL Matt Pryor (UFA)
  • ·      DT Byron Cowart (UFA)
  • ·      LS Scott Daly (UFA)
  • ·      WR Nsimba Webster (RFA)
  • ·      DT Chris Williams (ERFA)
  • ·      TE Stephen Carlson (UFA)
  • ·      DE Daniel Hardy (ERFA)
  • ·      OL Doug Kramer (RFA)
  • ·      OL Bill Murray (ERFA)
  • ·      S Douglas Coleman III (ERFA)
  • ·      S Adrian Colbert (UFA)
  • ·      S Tarvarius Moore (UFA)
  • ·      RB Darrynton Evans (UFA)
  • ·      OL Jake Curhan (UFA)
  • ·      DT Jonathan Ford (ERFA)
  • ·      CB Ameer Speed (ERFA)
  • ·      TE Tommy Sweeney (SFA)
  • ·      WR Collin Johnson (UFA)

GM Ryan Poles might be tempted to take the easy way out, go on an internal spending spree, and bring back players with whom he’s already comfortable and/or familiar.

That would be a Poles-ian move.

That would also be a Poles-ian mistake.

There are, however, a handful of players who might seem like no-brain re-signs. But when your team hasn't finished a season above .500 since 2018, nobody should be safe…unless their name is Caleb Williams or Jaylon Johnson.

Here are four free agents the Bears should let run free:

Gerald Everett, TE

Gerald Everett
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

If the Bears cut Everett, they’ll be tagged with $1,000,000 of dead cap space, an eminently reasonable sacrifice for a guy who finished 2024 with 36 yards (!) on eight receptions (!!) on 13 targets (!!!), numbers that George Kittle racks up in most first quarters. Chicago paid the 30-year-old $757,500 per catch, and probably shouldn’t do that again.


Travis Homer, RB

Travis Homer
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The 2024 Bears running back room wasn’t exactly what you’d call useful, but even though D’Andre Swift wildly underperformed and Roschon Johnson was held to 55 rushing attempts due to injuries, Homer barely played on offense, garnering just six rushing attempts. His base salary last season was just over $1.5 million, but that’s $1.5 million that could be better spent elsewhere.


Teven Jenkins, OL

Teven Jenkins
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Here’s the thing: Jenkins’ health has always been an issue, and he hasn’t played an entire 17-game schedule in his four-year career. His PFF grade of 75.4 ranked 18th amongst tackles in 2024, which will have him looking for a deal somewhere between $12 million and $20 million, a whole lot of ducats for an injury-prone, slightly-above-average player.

Let him test the market, then when he doesn’t see a $20 mil offer, he can zip up to Lake Forest and ink a cap-friendly deal.


Coleman Shelton, OL

Coleman Shelton
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Like Homer, Shelton came into 2024 on a bargain-basement deal ($3,500,000 cap hit). Also like Homer, Shelton didn’t make any serious impact…but maybe that can be blamed on the general mediocrity of his linemates.

Yes, the Bears need bodies on the O-line, but an average 22-year-old on a rookie deal should be more enticing than an average 29-year-old looking for $4 million.


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Alan Goldsher
ALAN GOLDSHER

Alan Goldsher has written about sports for Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Apple, Playboy, NFL.com, and NBA.com, and he’s the creator of the Chicago Sports Stuff Substack. He’s the bestselling author of 15 books, and the founder/CEO of Gold Note Records. Alan lives in Chicago, where he writes, makes music, and consumes and creates way too much Bears content. You can visit him at http://www.AlanGoldsher.com and http://x.com/AlanGoldsher.