NFL free agency is just under four weeks away. With the Chicago Bears ranking in the top six in projected cap space, there will be plenty of action before the draft. Here are nine players who could join the market in the coming weeks that have ties to the new coaching staff.
With Super Bowl 59 in the books, the official close of the 2024 NFL season has concluded. Unlike most sports, even when football is not being played on the field, the league still commands most sports fan’s full attention. The unofficial start of free agency is just under four weeks away, while late April’s draft is still two-and-a-half months away.
For teams like the Chicago Bears, the acquisition period has been the highlight of their seasons as of late. As fans have learned, it’s much easier to “win the offseason” than win games when it counts. Head coach Ben Johnson will take over a team that has won 15 games over the last three seasons. With a star-studded coaching staff by his side, it’ll be interesting to see how attractive of a destination they are in free agency.
The team’s needs are precise. The trenches will be the primary focus, and they’ll have plenty of resources to do so. Outside of the top names that will headline the opening day (or two) of free agency, this is a shallow class with much disaster potential. Assuming the Bears don’t spend their fill in the opening few days of the market, some veteran names could come at a discount. More importantly, these are players with a keen familiarity with this new coaching staff, which is usually valued in the early years of a new regime.
WR Kalif Raymond (Detroit Lions)
The ties to the Bears’ new head coach on offense are few and far between when it comes to potential cut candidates. Even so, Chicago doesn’t have a massive need for most skill positions, which could make adding a familiar receiver (or two) more plausible.
According to Over The Cap, Raymond ranks 4th on a list of 100 players with the highest probability of being cut due to production versus contract value. The 31-year-old is due $6.376 million in 2025, but the team can save around half of that with a pre-June 1st cut. If Detroit were to designate him as a post-June 1st release, they would save $4.826 million.
Raymond isn’t a player who will bring immense value as an offense player, but he should come cheap (if released). As a fourth option, the Bears could do a lot worse. Despite low totals in 2024, he averaged over 500 yards receiving from 2021-2023 in Johnson’s offense. He also brings value as a punt returner. At the right price, Raymond could be a valuable role player in Chicago.
Projected Contract: Two years, $6million ($1.9 million guaranteed)
WR Josh Reynolds (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Ranking one spot below Raymond on OTC’s list is another familiar name in Reynolds. The former Los Angeles Ram and Lion share the same (76.8%) cut probability and would bring plenty of value as a No. 3 in Chicago.
Last offseason, Reynolds signed a two-year, $9 million deal with $4.245 million guaranteed. The veteran receiver was waived in December by the Denver Broncos after just 12 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. Jacksonville claimed him, but with a new regime in place, there’s always a chance he could be cut, especially with the Jaguars tight against the cap.
In two seasons with Detroit, the 30-year-old averaged 39 receptions for 544 yards and four touchdowns per season. Similar to Raymond, this wouldn’t be a move that would make many headlines. Still, it would help establish depth behind the Bears’ top two names and, more importantly, provide some much-needed scheme familiarity at a reasonable price.
Projected Contract: One year, $3 million ($750,000 guaranteed)
RB Jamaal Williams (New Orleans Saints)
Williams has a reasonable $3.93 million cap hit for 2025, but the Saints currently sit at a league-low $59.509 million in effective cap space, according to OTC. New Orleans could save $3.15 million by designating Williams as a post-June 1st cut. While those cap savings would be “ready” to use until June 2nd, this could be enough of a cushion to take into the season.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t see many scenarios where a third-team running back making $3.15 million makes sense, especially in New Orleans’ cap situation.
For Williams, he had two of his three best years when it came to success percentage. In 2022, under Johnson’s play calling, Williams had a career-high 1066 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. A year later, he signed with the Saints after the Lions gave David Montgomery a three-year, $18 million.
This wouldn’t be a long-term move but could help bridge Johnson’s need for a quality running game for a year while they address the trenches.
Projected Contract: One year, $2 million ($1.65 million guaranteed)
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
S Marcus Williams (Baltimore Ravens)
Moving over to the defensive side of the ball, there are multiple fits within the latest scheme of new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. Although it’s similar to what Matt Eberflus ran in Chicago, Allen relies more heavily on pressure up front to be aggressive with blitzes. Because of his background, he’s always put a fair share of value into the secondary.
Williams was initially drafted with the 42nd overall pick in the 2017 draft by New Orleans. Most will remember his infamous blown coverage moment in the playoffs against Stefon Diggs. Still, he enjoyed an impressive seven-year stint with the Saints before signing a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens last offseason.
Although Pro Football Focus graded him as the worst safety in the league this year, the 28-year-old regularly ranked inside the Top 20 in the seven previous years. This would be a low-cost, high-upside type of move and could help Chicago move away from Kevin Byard if they chose to do so. In the worst case, Williams could sign a cheap one-year deal to reunite with the defensive mind with whom he had seven years of NFL success.
It’s worth noting that Baltimore has already restructured his deal in advance to using a Post-June 1st designation on him in the coming weeks.
Projected Contract: One year, $3 million ($2.745 million guaranteed)
DT David Onyemata (Atlanta Falcons)
Make no mistake: Signing a 33-year-old defensive tackle wouldn’t be made with a long-term vision. Onyemata experienced some of his best years under Allen at the NFL level. It ultimately led to him signing a three-year, $35 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Although Onyemata is still a productive player, the Falcons are facing the cap and will need to clear some space to improve their roster. It’s possible that they could opt to cut fellow defensive tackle Grady Jarrett instead, which would net them double the savings at $16.25 million. According to PFF, the two graded out similarly, but Jarrett had double the pressures and one more sack.
I won’t pretend to know what the Falcons are thinking, but considering their tenures, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them restructure Jarrett while cutting ties with Onyemata. If so, he could be Chicago’s perfect one-year deal candidate to help build immediate depth on the interior defensive line.
Projected Contract: One year, $5.125 million ($4.625 million guaranteed)
DT Sheldon Rankins (Cincinnati Bengals)
Rankins’ time in New Orleans lasted just four years (after being drafted in the first round in 2016), but Allen’s current scheme still values his skill set. The 31-year-old has bounced around quite a bit since leaving New Orleans, but he’s produced everywhere he’s gone.
Rankins is one year removed from signing a two-year, $24.5 million deal with the Bengals, but considering their cap crunch, there’s plenty of reason to believe that they could cut bait and bank the $9.618 million in space saved. OTC says the defensive tackle holds a (62.9%) cut probability. He’s coming off a down year and could probably be signed for relatively cheap. At 31, he wouldn’t be a long-term option, but in the same vein as Onyemata, he would provide immediate value to an undermanned interior group.
Projected Contract: One year, $5.125 million ($4.625 million guaranteed)
DT Khalen Saunders (New Orleans Saints)
The former Kansas City Chief has become a much more effective pass-rushing force over his two years in New Orleans under Allen. Despite being slightly undersized, the 6 ‘2, 310-pound defensive tackle has produced 14 pressures in his past two seasons, including two sacks and 38 stops.
Saunders is entering the final year of his three-year, $12.3 million free agent deal, but with the Saints tight against the cap (as always), a post-June 1st release would save them $3.929 million. Although this would be more of a signing with depth in mind, the 29-year-old still has plenty left in the tank to be more than a one-year solution.
Projected Contract: One year, $3 million ($2.49 million guaranteed)
DT Nathan Shepherd (New Orleans Saints)
Shepherd, the 32-year-old veteran, is another name similar to Saunders that New Orleans brought in over the last few years to help out Allen’s defense. Unlike the name above, Shepherd is much more about rushing the passer. The issue: He’s been horrible against the run for most of his career.
For a team like the Bears, that might be a deal-breaker. Chicago ranked fifth worst against the run, giving up 136.3 yards per game on the ground. The Saints ranked 31st, giving up 141.4 yards per game.
Of the defensive tackles listed, Shepherd likely makes the least sense. He’s worth mentioning due to his ties with Allen and OTC’s (62.5%) cut probability.
Projected Contract: One year, $3.5 million ($2.325 million guaranteed)
DT Shy Tuttle (Carolina Panthers)
Two years ago, the Panthers gave Tuttle a three-year, $19.5 million deal to come over from the Saints. Their goal was with him stopping the run in mind. PFF said his run defense has fallen off a cliff since leaving New Orleans. In the three years prior under Allen, Tuttle consistently ranked in the Top 40 among defensive tackles, including rankings of 10th and 11th in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
It’s possible that Tuttle was playing above his head with the Saints, but it’s just as possible that he simply played his best football under his former defensive coordinator. Carolina could save $6.5 million if they designate him as a post-June 1st cut. Considering how much work their defensive line needs, I wouldn’t rule it out. The 29-year-old could provide much-needed depth behind Andrew Billings for the right price.
Projected Contract: Two years, $6 million ($3.25 million guaranteed)