Free Agency Spending Spree Seems Unlikely

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has many holes to fill and few draft picks so he knows he'll need to use the second and third waves of free agency for a good chunk of Bears roster additions.

The first big question staring at Bears general manager Ryan Poles in free agency is the Allen Robinson issue.

General managers don't talk specifics about signing their own free agents two weeks before free agency at the NFL combine, and Poles wasn't about to tip his hand on Robinson or any of the other pending free agency issues facing the Bears Tuesday when he held a press conference.

"You know, I'm not there right now," Poles said regarding a statement on Robinson's future. "So we're just going to keep working through that."

Bringing Robinson back on a second tag would mean paying him 120% of last year's $17.9 million tag payment, so this wouldn't seem likely.

If that doesn't sound positive enough or negative enough regarding the return of the Bears' 2019 and 2020 receiving leader, Poles did agree it is a fresh start now for everyone. Any lingering feelings or issues between any player in general with the team can do a reboot, but it has to be a process of making this apparent to everyone.

"It's communication it's, you know, establishing that you know things are going to be a little bit different and that's a tough one to answer specifically but I think it's more of a fresh start for everyone," Poles said. "I think, through our moves and the staff we put together I think it shows that."

In much the same respect, Poles doesn't have anything to offer on where Tarik Cohen's recovery from knee surgery is or what could happen with his roster spot. 

The Bears would get a savings of about $4 million in cap space by cutting Cohen with a post-June 1 designation.

"Right now yeah, it just comes down to that communication and conversations with (the head athletic trainer)," Poles said. "Andre Tucker's one of the best in the league and we're just going to have those conversations to see where everything stands and make the best decision we can make at that point."

The Bears have only five draft picks, one in the second, third and sixth and two in the fifth round.

"Obviously you want a lot of picks but that's just, you know, the hand we were dealt and we'll be open-minded on how we can create more picks and we'll be smart about that," Poles said.

As a result, Poles acknowledged they may need to lean more heavily on free agency this year than he'd like. They would be more apt to strike in what he called the "second and third waves," of free agency because of their need to fill roster spots. By that, he meant free agents available a few days to a week into the signing process rather than the big-dollar types signing on the dotted line hours after they're allowed to do so on March 16.

"I mean, we have, what was it, 26, 27 free agents?" he pointed out.

The Bears do have about $25 million in available salary cap space to address roster holes, but they also have to get a contract extension for linebacker Roquan Smith, possibly running back David Montgomery and find some replacements for lost free agents.

So they would need to be spot-on if they committed to one big-dollar player.

"It just really changes the focus, a little bit of maximizing, like I said, that second, third wave of free agency and making sure that we get the right type of players in," Poles said.

The right type is important at this stage to the new regime in terms of "...really setting that culture and making sure the core is strong and guys are motivated, they're playing hard but they're playing together," Poles said. "And I feel like we can start that and then bring in that talent if it's five (draft) picks, six picks whatever it might be."

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