On Friday, the Chicago Bears announced two roster moves. One was surprising…the other, not so much.
Tight end Gerald Everett’s release had been coming ever since the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Everett was brought in because he was familiar with Waldron’s offense. Neither the coach nor the player worked out in Chicago.
DeMarcus Walker’s release was stunning. While the Bears saved $5.2 million by cutting the starting defensive end, the move made an already thin defensive line a bigger issue heading into free agency and the draft.
Why the Chicago Bears made the cut
During an appearance Monday on 670 The Score‘s “Mully & Hugh Show,” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune explained why the Bears choosing to release Walker should not have been that much of a shock. Biggs thinks Walker was overpaid by general manager Ryan Poles.
“I got some people nearly aghast that they would consider releasing Demarcus Walker because of their depth situation on the line,” Biggs said. “And I’m like, if the guy’s not worth your $7 million a year contract, why are you keeping them? How’s he making you better?”
“Grand total of seven sacks over the last two seasons. Listen, he answered the bell. He was out there every Sunday, 17 games, each of the past two seasons. But he’s not a difference maker. They overpaid him when he arrived and they’ve got to get better. Like keeping him as some rotational piece doesn’t make you a better football team. They need to find some help on the defensive line. There’s no question about that.”
Will the Bears regret releasing DeMarcus Walker?
Walker might have been overpaid, but, as Biggs said about Friday’s cuts, the Bears had plenty of cap space if they wanted to keep him. Walker might not make the team a lot better as a rotational player, but losing him makes the defense much worse. At least as it is now before free agency.
And that’s nothing to say of what will happen in the season when injuries start to accrue; because Walker can fill in at DT or DE.
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