The Chicago Bears are coming off a year in which they won the NFC North and a playoff game, beating the Packers in the wildcard round with a breathtaking 18-point comeback in the second half. It’s a moment the city of Chicago won’t soon forget, but after losing to the Rams in overtime in the divisional round, the Bears have turned their attention towards the 2026 season.
Bears HC Ben Johnson came over from the Lions last year and proved himself one of the best young head coaches in the league. Paired with soon-to-be third-year QB Caleb Williams, the Bears have a promising future on offense.
Improving the defensive personnel will be an important part of the offseason for the Bears. Though they led the league in takeaways in 2025, they gave up a lot of yards when they weren’t forcing turnovers, losing several shootouts they could have won with a stronger defensive performance. To do that, however, the Bears will need to free up some money under the cap.
A Beloved Chicago Bears Veteran Was Named a Top Cut Candidate
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 18: Cole Kmet #85 of the Chicago Bears catches a fourteen yard touchdown pass against Cobie Durant #14 of the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Soldier Field on January 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
On Friday, NBC’s Kyle Dvorchak named the top cut candidate for each team. On the Bears, he suggested that cutting TE Cole Kmet would free up enough cap space to be worth considering:
“Colston Loveland is the future of this team, but he’s also the present,” Dvorchak wrote. “Despite a slow start to the year, Loveland led the Bears in receiving yards during the regular season and ran laps around the rest of the pass-catchers in the postseason. Kmet caught more than three passes in a game once this year.”
“[WR] DJ Moore is another veteran pass-catcher who could be cut to get younger players on the field,” Dvorchak continued. “Cutting Moore with a post-June 1st designation would only save the Bears a million dollars in cap space with a stunning $27.5 million dead cap charge. On the other hand, $15.5 million of Moore’s 2027 base salary becomes guaranteed on March 13th. That means keeping him this year makes it more costly to move on from him next offseason. This trigger could force Chicago’s hand in moving on from him a year early.”
Chicago Bears TE Colston Loveland Was Sensational Down the Stretch of the Season
If the Bears do decide they can afford to move on from Kmet, it’ll be because of the faith that Loveland earned as a rookie. He had 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns in the regular season, adding 12 receptions for 193 yards in just two postseason contests.
Loveland’s emergence down the stretch of the season was nothing short of spectacular. He proved himself one of the league’s most dangerous receiving tight ends, leading Chicago in catches and receiving yards despite a relatively slow start to the year.
Bears $8.4 Million Veteran Named as Top Cut Candidate