The Chicago Bears have certainly not made any splash signings in the 2026 free agency period, but they have kept themselves busy.
Their biggest signing of the offseason was picking up safety Coby Bryant, who was just on the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks team last season. They also got some key guys, including linebacker Devin Bush, to help with the defense.
Despite all that, the fan base has been screaming for the team to make a massive move, including trading for Maxx Crosby or signing Trey Hendrickson. The reality is that even if Bears general manager Ryan Poles wanted to make those kinds of moves, with those guys off the market, Chicago might not have the money to do it.
Bears' current 2026 salary cap update
According to Over The Cap, the Bears don't have much to work with, with a total cap space of $6.8 million. Defensive end Montez Sweat is making the most money on the team, with an average annual salary of $20.9 million.
Chicago is left in a position where it might not be able to sign any more players until it reviews its current roster and decides who to let go or restructure. The Bears still need to create cap space for their upcoming draft picks, so more work is needed.
Everyone will have their eyes set on guys like D'Andre Swift and Cole Kmet, who have been trade and cap casualty candidates all offseason, as the two could help save the team about $15 million by removing them from the roster. Going into the offseason, the Bears had about $85 million in roster flexibility to restructure contracts and create more cap space in 2026.
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The big moves might be off the table for the Bears, and it could be more of small signings or just complete silence from this moment on. Bears fans might not like to hear that, but if they want to be active in free agency, more work has to be done on the current roster than on those outside it.