Have you ever gone to the carnival and played that game where you drop a quarter in the machine and hope that it pushes a whole waterfall of quarters over the edge? The NFL season is closer than you think, but before the Chicago Bears begin the Ben Johnson era, they'll need to make some cuts to get the roster in order. Just like that midway classic, the new pieces the Bears have added this offseason could result in some old ones being pushed out.
There are always surprise cuts every year, but by and large, players are usually given their pink slip in the summer for one of two reasons. Either the team finds a better use for the money it would be paying said player, or the reality of having too many guys for too few spots ends in a simple subtraction.
The Bears were extremely active this offseason, which should give them a shiny new coat of paint compared to most teams when Week 1 rolls around. There's a new head coach of course in Ben Johnson, a raft of new skill position talent procured through free agency and the draft, and a much-derided offensive line that was remade so thoroughly as to be ranked No. 4 in the entire league this week by Pro Football Focus. In short, general manager Ryan Poles went full mad scientist in attempting to bring the Monsters of the Midway back to life.
New management is usually bad news for a company's existing employees. Everyone likes to make their mark in a new position, and Johnson will be no different, which is why the following three Bears could be having their Halas Hall keycards revoked soon.
Zacch Pickens could be the odd man out on the Bears' revamped defensive line
The Bears were mediocre when it came to taking down opposing quarterbacks last year, ranking 18th in the league in sacks. That wouldn't necessarily have kept them from being a good defense, as they did surprisingly have more sacks than both the Steelers and the Bills, but combined with their total freefall in stopping the run (they finished 27th in the league after ranking first the previous year), it all added up to a unit that didn't come close to resembling a vintage Bears D.
Fortunately, help is on the way. The Bears upgraded the edge by signing former Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo, and they bulked up the interior with Grady Jarrett, a stalwart part of the Falcons defense for the past decade. They also drafted Shemar Turner, a versatile defensive tackle out of Texas A&M, in the second round.
That's great for new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but bad for Zacch Pickens. Heading into his third year, Pickens has just 1.5 sacks in 26 games, but he also hasn't lived up to the reputation he had coming out of South Carolina as a run stuffer. In total, he's managed just two tackles for loss in addition to his paltry pass rushing numbers, and he's been vastly outplayed by Gervon Dexter, who is primed to start alongside Jarrett on the interior.
Pickens has often been mentioned this offseason as a prime cut candidate, and with so much new blood ahead of him on the depth chart, it's easy to see why. Unless he makes a strong impression early in camp, he could be looking for a new team before Week 1.
D'Andre Swift could be one of the biggest names cut if the young guys have a good camp
D'Andre Swift was the Bears' clear No. 1 back last year after signing as a free agent, but despite ample opportunity, he ranked near the bottom of the league in success rate, yards after contact and explosive play rate.
After watching Swift struggle for most of the year, many Bears fans expected the team to make a run at Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty in the draft, but the Raiders pounced on him before Chicago was on the clock. We'll never know what Ryan Poles would have done if Jeanty was still on the board, but he still surprised the fanbase by passing on the rest of a deep running back class, until he finally took Rutgers back Kyle Monangai in the seventh round.
In addition to not using an early-round pick on a runner, the Bears also passed on signing a free agent like Nick Chubb or Jamaal Williams. That doesn't mean Swift is out of the woods, though. Ben Johnson was the Lions offensive coordinator when Detroit traded Swift away, which likely means he's not a huge fan of his game to begin with. There's also a cadre of young backs eager to make their mark. Monangai, 2023's Big Ten rushing leader, has already flashed some upside, and Roschon Johnson has been waiting in the wings for his chance to shine after mostly getting work in short yardage situations last year.
Travis Homer has value as a special teams player, and Ian Wheeler is back after tearing his ACL last August. The Bears would take a cap hit by cutting Swift, but if Johnson likes the young guys better, then ripping the band-aid off before the season would probably be best for all parties.
Tyler Scott is out of time in what is now a crowded receiving corps
Speaking of crowded position groups, the Bears let Keenan Allen walk but managed to replace him with three exciting new additions. Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay were signed in free agency, while Luther Burden III is expected to be the starting slot receiver after being taken in the second round of the draft.
After two mostly invisible seasons, Tyler Scott was never going to get the starting slot gig, but there was some hope that with a new coach he could develop into a useful deep threat, or at least a valuable return man. With Zaccheaus and Duvernay in town, those hopes have evaporated. Scott's skill set is now redundant, and unlike the guys ahead of him on the depth chart, he hasn't shown that he can translate those skills into professional production.
Scott didn't do much his rookie year, but the 17 balls he caught were at least something. Last year he caught one lonely pass for five yards. He has the speed to be an effective deep threat, but the Bears have already signaled their intentions by signing veterans to fill that role. It looks like it's only a matter of time until it's made official.