The Bears are continuing to sell off some of their best pieces even despite a better-than-expected start to the 2022 NFL season.
Ahead of Week 8, the Bears traded veteran pass rusher Robert Quinn to the Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Then, on Halloween, they sent away arguably their best defensive player.
Chicago traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens in exchange for multiple draft picks. Smith, 25, leads the NFL in tackles through eight weeks with 83 and has been an AP All-Pro second-teamer in back-to-back seasons.
MORE: Roquan Smith trade details — Ravens acquire star LB from Bears
There had been some tension between Smith and the Bears as he looked for a contract extension. That is now cleared up, as the Ravens will be the ones looking to re-sign him. Still, there is now a big hole in Chicago’s defense that will make it difficult for them to build on their 3-5 start to the season.
That said, the Bears’ decision to trade Smith makes sense. They are effectively sacrificing the rest of the 2022 campaign for a shot at a brighter future in 2023.
And given the resources that they will have during the offseason, a quick turnaround is quite possible in Chicago.
MORE: NFL trade deadline tracker: Latest rumors, news, updates & more
Bears draft picks 2023
The Bears are now set up with nine picks in the 2023 NFL Draft thanks to their trades with the Eagles and Ravens.
Previously, the Bears had owned six picks in the 2023 draft picks, and all were their own. They had sent their 2023 sixth-round pick to the Chargers for two seventh-round picks in 2022 that became safety Elijah Hicks and punter Trenton Gill.
The picks that Chicago acquired from the Ravens were second- and fifth-round selections. The Eagles swapped a fourth-round pick for Quinn. Below is a full list of the Bears’ draft picks in 2023:
- Round 1 (own)
- Round 2 (own)
- Round 2 (Ravens)
- Round 3 (own)
- Round 4 (own)
- Round 4 (Eagles)
- Round 5 (own)
- Round 5 (Ravens)
- Round 7 (own)
As such, the Bears will have a lot of resources with which to add talent around Justin Fields, who has shown flashes of improvement as his work with new Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy continues. Currently, the Bears have one of the weakest receiver rooms in the NFL and have an offensive line that is shaky at best.
Of course, Chicago could look to do the same in free agency, and their outlook looks even better in that offseason phase after the Smith trade.
MORE: Robert Quinn trade details — Eagles acquire pass rusher from Bears
Bears salary cap 2023
The Bears are currently expected to have the most salary cap space of any NFL team during the 2023 offseason, and it’s not particularly close.
Chicago will have a whopping $120,980,503 in cap space, per OverTheCap.com. That is nearly double as much as the second-highest-ranked team, the Falcons, will have to spend.
| Rank | Team | 2023 cap space |
| 1 | Bears | $120,980,503 |
| 2 | Falcons | $63,639,871 |
| 3 | Giants | $61,719,751 |
| 4 | Patriots | $61,475,463 |
| 5 | Seahawks | $52,960,788 |
These numbers are subject to change in the lead-up to the new NFL league year on March 15, 2023. Still, it will be hard for any team to match the spending power of the Bears, who will be able to competitively pursue any free-agent target they desire.
The Bears’ excess of cap space is thanks, in part, to their decision to move on from Quinn, Smith and Khalil Mack in trades over the last calendar year. They were three of the highest-paid players on the roster, and trading them before the 2022 season ends ensures that their contracts won’t remain on the books beyond this season.
So, these three trades were about more than the draft capital that the Bears received. They are now financially positioned to have plenty of bargaining power once the 2023 free agency begins.
Potential Bears free agency targets 2023
So, who could the Bears target with their wealth of resources in 2023? Well, the 2023 free-agent wide receiver class doesn’t look particularly strong, but there are still several potential starters and players with upside for whom that Chicago could bid. They include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Jakobi Meyers, Patriots
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chiefs
- Allen Lazard, Packers
- Mecole Hardman, Chiefs
- Marvin Jones, Jaguars
- DJ Chark, Lions
The outlook for potential offensive line free agents is a bit more positive. As such, the Bears could focus their free-agent resources there while targeting receivers via the draft.
Here are a handful of offensive linemen that the Bears could pursue:
- Elgton Jenkins, Packers
- Orlando Brown, Chiefs
- Jack Conklin, Browns
- Dalton Risner, Broncos
- Mitch Morse, Bills
The Bears could pursue other positions and may have an interest in using their available space to keep some of their current players, like David Montgomery. Either way, they will have some money to spend, so don’t be surprised to see them emerge as major players during the 2023 offseason.
