Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been retooling this roster since he was hired in 2022. This 2023 offseason has been an important one for Poles, where he’s added key players — some at a bargain price.
Over The Cap has shared a positional spending table, which helps lay out the Bears’ salary cap allocations at each position. Chicago is top-four in spending at two positions — and because of two players — and had another position rank 11th in the league.
All-in-all, the Bears are a young team with a number of impact players still on their rookie deals. But where does their spending rank among the rest of the league.
Here’s a look at the Bears’ positional spending on offense and defense:
Quarterback: $6.8 million
NFL rank: 27th
The Bears have a quarterback in Justin Fields who remains on his rookie deal, which is a huge thing for Poles as he builds the team around him. Free-agent addition PJ Walker is an affordable backup.
Running back: $5.65 million
NFL rank: 26th
After David Montgomery’s departure, the Bears haven’t overspent at running back. Khalil Herbert remains on his rookie deal while newcomers D’Onta Foreman and Travis Homer were bargain additions.
Wide receiver: $31.5 million
NFL rank: 11th
Before the acquisition of DJ Moore, the Bears didn’t have much allocated toward the receiver position. Moore’s $20.16 million is a bulk of the spending — but it’s still a bargain for a No. 1 wide receiver.
Tight end: $8.03 million
NFL rank: 21st
Cole Kmet is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and he could be in line for a contract extension. Kmet and free-agent acquisition Robert Tonyan account for $6.41 million of that total.
Offensive line: $57.39 million
NFL rank: 24th
The Bears have a young group of offensive linemen on the roster, but Cody Whitehair ($14.1 million) and free agent addition Nate Davis ($6.92 million) account for most of that spending.
Interior defensive line: $19.34 million
NFL rank: 19th
The Bears only have two defensive tackles — that will make the 53-man roster — in Justin Jones and free-agent addition Andrew Billings.
Edge rusher: $5.5 million
NFL rank: 31st
The Bears rank second to last when it comes to the edge rusher position. They’re top option right now is free-agent acquisition DeMarcus Walker, who joins Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson.
Linebacker: $24.14 million
NFL rank: 3rd
The Bears overhauled their linebacker group with the free-agent additions of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, where Edmunds has the third-highest cap hit on the team at $14.6 million.
Cornerback: $12.38 million
NFL rank: 27th
The Bears have a young cornerback group. Jaylon Johnson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, where he should be up for a contract extension. Kyler Gordon is entering his second season.
Safety: $22.33 million
NFL rank: 4th
Eddie Jackson has the second-highest cap hit on the team at $17.09 million, which accounts for most of the spending. Jaquan Brisker and Elijah Hicks are on rookie deals.
