The Buffalo Bills should still be one of the better teams in the NFL next season.
They have quarterback Josh Allen.
But they’ll be a different team. It’s a hard reality that set in this week as the Bills released three starters: safety Jordan Poyer, cornerback Tre’Davious White and center Mitch Morse.
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By doing so, the Bills saved significantly against the salary cap. The Bills faced tough decisions with a deficit of over $40 million. The NFL’s cap is fluid, but it still forces changes every year.
Buffalo also restructured cornerback Rasul Douglas’ deal, negotiated pass rusher Von Miller’s contract and released wide receiver Deonte Harty, special teamer Siran Neal and running back Nyheim Hines.
This is what happens in the NFL — especially if you’re a team like the Bills with a marquee quarterback locked into a major deal. According to Spotrac, Allen’s contract carries a cap hit of more than $47 million in 2024. He’s still worth every cent of that. But it’s also why teams have come to see the importance of having capable rookie quarterbacks under contract. An important team-building window forms because of it.
This is where the Chicago Bears fit into the conversation. They have ample money to spend in free agency next week, but they’re also looking at drafting quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick. The Bears could be entering a “let’s win” period under general manager Ryan Poles.
How will the Bears spend their money in free agency? There are plenty of players with ties to current Bears staff members. Let’s look at our annual “shopping list.”
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Player ranks are from Randy Mueller’s top 150 free agents, which did not include veterans who have been cut in the past week.
Quarterbacks
No. 147 Drew Lock
Fishbain: I’m not sure how comfortable the Bears would be going into the season with a rookie starting quarterback and a second-year backup. Lock played with Shane Waldron in Seattle and would be helpful in the quarterbacks room. An addition like Lock could also allow the Bears to stay patient with Tyson Bagent. They could also bring back Nathan Peterman, who has been working with Caleb Williams.
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Jahns: Teams do value the voices they place around their young quarterback. But I don’t think those dynamics matter much in the long run when it comes to their development. Maybe it’s just my experience covering the Bears talking here. But we’ve seen the Bears pair rookie quarterbacks with veterans in the past. Mitch Trubisky had Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez, while Justin Fields had Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. There is immense value in having a backup on a rookie contract, too. After all their cost-cutting moves, the Bills re-signed Trubisky to a two-year deal worth $5.25 million.
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Wide receivers
No. 15 Calvin Ridley
No. 29 Josh Reynolds
No. 35 Gabe Davis
No. 73 Curtis Samuel
No. 143 Tyler Boyd
Fishbain: If the Bears drafted a receiver in Round 1 and signed one of these five, thus making Tyler Scott the No. 4 heading into 2024, they’d be in pretty good shape at receiver. They have to replace Darnell Mooney, but I don’t think this is a position where they need to throw a ton of money around. Reynolds overlapped with Waldron in Los Angeles, making that an easy system fit.
Jahns: It’s also a deep year at receiver in the draft. The Bears could miss out on LSU’s Malik Nabers and Washington’s Rome Odunze in the top 10 and still draft an immediate WR2 for their offense. That’s why it makes sense to spend big elsewhere in free agency. That said, I do like the idea of signing Boyd. He would give the Bears a true slot receiver.
Defensive ends
No. 1 Danielle Hunter
No. 7 Jonathan Greenard
No. 11 Bryce Huff
No. 28 Chase Young
No. 80 A.J. Epenesa
No. 119 Dorance Armstrong
Fishbain: Hunter had 3 1/2 sacks against the Bears last season. Poles and Eberflus got a front-row seat to see how he can wreck a play. A rotation of Montez Sweat, Hunter and DeMarcus Walker at defensive end would be pretty darn good, but would that be too pricey? Greenard and Huff might make more sense, but at their age (26 and 25, respectively), they may require more guaranteed money on a longer-term deal than the 29-year-old Hunter. Like receiver, this is a position the Bears can target in Round 1, but they can’t ignore it in free agency and bank on getting a starter in April.
Jahns: With Eberflus, scheme fit and scheme experience are important. Similar to Sweat, Young has that playing for Washington. And so does Epenesa, the 54th pick in the 2020 draft. Epenesa also played for new defensive coordinator Eric Washington, totaling 6 1/2 sacks in each of the past two seasons for the Buffalo Bills. If Washington wants Epenesa, he should get him. He shouldn’t command an overly expensive contract. “It seems like every time A.J. steps on the field, it appears as though he’s doing something extremely impactful for our defense and for our team,” Washington told reporters after Buffalo’s win against the Kansas City Chiefs in December.
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Defensive tackles
No. 2 Chris Jones
No. 6 Christian Wilkins
No. 27 Justin Jones
Fishbain: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the three-technique is pretty important to Eberflus’ defense. Similar to the impact Hunter could have on the defensive line, how could you not be intrigued by what Wilkins could bring? If they don’t go for Chris Jones or Wilkins, would they consider bringing Justin Jones back? He did lead the team in tackles for loss in each of the past two seasons. A lot of this could depend on the evaluation of Gervon Dexter, and what type of player the Bears want to pair with him.
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Jahns: If Chris Jones re-signs with the Chiefs, which is expected, Wilkins is obviously the next best option. At 28 years old and coming off a nine-sack season, Wilkins is poised for a lucrative, long-term contract from some team. He may supersede the Bears’ price parameters. But securing a three-technique definitely seems like the next step for Poles when it comes to bulking up Eberflus’ defense. The Bears will seriously have to consider how much they trust Dexter’s development in his second season.
Running backs
No. 3 Saquon Barkley
No. 8 Josh Jacobs
No. 38 Gus Edwards
No. 49 D’Andre Swift
No. 98 Tony Pollard
No. 111 Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Fishbain: It goes against everything we know about Poles for the Bears to suddenly be in play for someone like Barkley or Jacobs, right? The Chiefs have thrived with a variety of running backs. The Bears can feel good about Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. But … imagine the offense with one of the top available backs, or even someone like Pollard. It just adds another dynamic, and with a weak running back draft ahead, maybe the Bears buck the trend and spend this year in the backfield.
Jahns: The Bears aren’t going to change their run-centric approach after replacing Luke Getsy with Shane Waldron or even after drafting Williams. Eberflus wants the run game to be a part of the Bears’ offensive identity. A good run game will only help Williams as he experiences the ups and downs of his rookie season. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bears added a bigger name to their running back mix.
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Center
No. 10 Lloyd Cushenberry
No. 47 Coleman Shelton
No. 56 Mitch Morse
No. 69 Tyler Biadasz
No. 83 Andre James
No. 91 Aaron Brewer
Fishbain: The addition of Ryan Bates lessens the priority here, but I wouldn’t completely rule it out. Guards Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis combined to miss 11 games last season, and it was a perk for the Bears to be able to sub in Cody Whitehair. They do have Ja’Tyre Carter and could still look to add depth here, but I’m guessing the next center comes via the draft.
Jahns: I do think it’s time for the Bears to draft their next center. But Poles needs more picks to do that. There is a big gap between the ninth and 75th picks. The top centers could be gone in the span. That’s why adding Bates made sense. The Bears clearly see value in guard-center flexibility. But if we’re making free agent-coach connections, Shelton deserves special mention. He played for the Los Angeles Rams and Waldron, who was the Rams’ passing-game coordinator in 2020. Since then, Coleman has developed into a full-time starter.
Safety
No. 9 Xavier McKinney
No. 25 Justin Simmons
No. 31 Alohi Gilman
No. 32 Jeremy Chinn
No. 79 Julian Blackmon
No. 106 Geno Stone
No. 118 Quandre Diggs
N/R Jordan Poyer
N/R Kevin Byard
Fishbain: Well, the Bears picked a good year to need a starting safety they can plug and play next to Jaquan Brisker. Why worry about the draft when you can sign any one of these players and it shouldn’t be that expensive? Diggs played with current Bears safeties coach Andre Curtis in Seattle. Blackmon played the first two years of his career for Eberflus in Indianapolis.
Jahns: This feels like a position where the Bears can wait for the market to come to them. Sometimes that happens almost immediately as agents get a good feel for the market during the negotiation window. But good safeties and running backs — those who contribute on game days — typically wait as teams first target other positions in free agency.
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Tight ends
No. 51 Noah Fant
No. 93 Mike Gesicki
No. 96 Irv Smith Jr.
No. 132 Will Dissly
Fishbain: Both tight ends will know Waldron’s offense, having played for the Seahawks last season. The Bears can upgrade the No. 2 tight end spot, then bring back Marcedes Lewis as the No. 3. Fant is only 26 and did have back-to-back 600-yard seasons earlier in his career in Denver.
Jahns: Waldron’s influence should matter here. He likes to use 12 personnel (two tight ends). What type of pairing does he want with Cole Kmet for his offense? Kmet is a true Y tight end. He’s good at everything. Dissly is valued more for his blocking. Fant was the pass catcher in Waldron’s offense in Seattle. Gesicki and Smith could be explored, too.
(Top photo of Christian Wilkins: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)