NEWSLETTER
The first expected salary-cap related cut is the deepest.
Or something like that:
The #Bears are expected to release TE Dion Sims, source says. The two-way tight end was due $6M in 2019, a cap casualty. This early release before the league year should help him.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 20, 2019
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports that the Chicago Bears are expected to release tight end Dion Sims. The early cut should provide Sims with a better opportunity to latch on elsewhere, if he so chooses, and it should save the Bears some much need cap space. Reminder: Sims was limited to eight games in 2018 as injuries (mainly a season-ending concussion) kept him off the field.
From a Bears perspective, cutting Sims should open some room for the team to breathe within the salary cap. Using data from OverTheCap.com as our guide, cutting Sims would take Chicago’s available cap space from $7,299,741 to $12,804,741. That’s a savings of $5.505 million, which isn’t pocket change for any team, let alone a Bears team angling to squeeze every penny in during this competitive window.
Of course, while this move does clear potential spending money, it also creates a need for depth at tight end. Entering the 2018 season, Sims was a projected starter at the “Y” tight end position and was versatile enough to fill in at the “U” when necessary. With Sims out of the picture, it leaves Adam Shaheen with no competition to push him for the time being.
We’ve previously discussed the Bears’ need for a TE to fit in between Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen, saying this at the time:
Unfortunately, at first blush, 2019 doesn’t appear to be the sort of draft where tight end depth is a strength. And even if it were, rookie tight ends are tough to develop because of the learning curve associated with the responsibilities as blockers and receivers.
…
Free agency is probably a better place to find a fit, but I wouldn’t expect the Bears to shop at the top of the market again. So, I apologize in advance for eliminating the possibility of Jared Cook wreaking havoc on his ex-Packers teammates while catching passes from Trubisky.
We also examined internal options and some unrestricted free agents, so be sure to check that post out for more.
Once the move is official, the Bears will have parted ways with nearly every moderately high-priced free agent from their spending spree in 2017. You know, the one that netted the team Mike Glennon, Markus Wheaton, Marcus Cooper Sr., and Quintin Demps? Yeah, I’d like to forget that one too … but at least the Prince Amukamara signing turned out to be a quality addition.
