3 Bears cut candidates entering 2026 offseason

The Chicago Bears they are coming off a fantastic season, one that far exceeded most predictions as the season began. The primary hope for the Bears was that first-year head coach Ben Johnson he could do two things in his first year. The first and most important would be the transition to the second year of KB Caleb Williams into a much improved player with a better understanding of how to play at the NFL level. Another was that Johnson would display the creativity that the Detroit Lions’ offense was known for when he was head coach Dan Campbell’s offensive coordinator in the Motor City.

Johnson accomplished both of those goals and also managed to reach out to all of his players and create a new identity for the Bears. Instead of being a team that reacts to what the opposition did, the Bears dictated the action on both sides of the ball and did the same on special teams. The result was that the team went from last place to first place in the NFC North division and earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff structure.

The Bears defeated old rival Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs and ended decades of frustration against the Cheeseheads by defeating Green Bay in 2 of 3 games. There is every reason to believe that Green Bay’s dominance of the series since Brett Favre began his tenure in Green Bay in 1992 is now over.

There is no time for Bears management to look back; It’s DJome Moeure probably out

The Bears were minutes away from defeating the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional playoffs and advancing to the NFC Championship Game. While Bears fans can bask in the glory of their 2025 season, general manager Ryan Pouls and Johnson can’t look back. They have to look ahead to the 2026 season, and that means strengthening the team’s personnel. That starts with looking at the roster and letting go of some of the high-priced talent.

The idea is that they need to maximize the players that support Williams. One player who likely played his last game for the Bears is DJ Moore.

Moore hasn’t been a good player for the Bears since the team acquired him from the Carolina Panthers in 2023. He has given the Bears a sense of professionalism that was missing prior to his arrival.

However, is Moore really an elite receiver who can give the Bears what Justin Jefferson gives the Minnesota Vikings or Ja’Marr Chase gives the Cincinnati Bengals? The answer to that question is probably a resounding no, and that’s why the Bears will move on from the money-making player 23.485 million dollars per season and is under contract through the 2029 season. There is an option to opt out after 2027, but the Bears may not wait that long to part ways with their top receiver.

Moore did not have his best season in 2025 as he had 50 receptions for 682 yards and 6 TDs. That was down significantly from his production in 2023 and ’24. when he averaged 97 receptions for 1,165 yards and 7 touchdowns. As a result, the Bears will likely use his salary on other players.

LB Tremaine Edmunds

The Bears signed Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million deal before the 2023 season, and he’s been a solid player. He will have a cap hit of $17.4 million in 2026, and the Bears must decide if that allocation will help the team show improvement in 2027.

Edmunds had a team-leading 112 tackles in the 13 games he was on the field. He also had 4 interceptions, 9 passes defensed, 3 tackles for loss and 1 fumble recovery.

As productive as Edmunds was with the Bears, he wasn’t as productive as Kevin Bayard (7 interceptions), Nahshon Wright (5 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries) and Montez Sweat (10.0 sacks) when it came to big plays.

The Poles may have to make a painful decision regarding Edmunds’ future with the Bears

Cole Serf

When the Bears rallied to tie the Rams in the divisional playoffs with a touchdown in the final 18 seconds of the 4th quarter, it was Cole Kmet who caught a spectacular TD pass from Williams. Kmet managed to get open deep in the corner of the end zone and made an unforgettable throw.

Despite that play, Kmet doesn’t appear to be one of Williams’ primary receivers. He caught 30 passes for 347 yards and just 2 TDs during the regular season. He’s well behind fellow TE Colston Loveland, and that separation will likely be even more significant in the 2026 season.

Kmet is scheduled to make $8.9 million in each of the next two seasons, and those funds will likely be spent on other players. Bears will say goodbye to Kmet.