CHICAGO, Ill. — With the Chicago Bears offseason heating up, they will have some decisions to make in 2020 when it comes to contracts. Some of the major names that the Bears will look to bring back are guys like Danny Trevathan, Nick Kwiatkoski, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Currently, the Bears are projected to have about $14.5 million in cap space.

However, they can free up some more cap space by moving on from veterans such as Prince Amukamara and Taylor Gabriel.

With so many moves that need to be made but a limited amount of cap space, the Bears will have some work to do. The biggest thing that they'll need to do is prioritize who's important and who's not. In other words, which players do the Bears value more than others? Another name that could save the Bears a significant amount of money were he to be cut is 2016 first-round pick, Leonard Floyd.

A former Top 10 pick, Floyd showed tons of promise his rookie year with seven sacks. However, in three seasons since then, he's totaled just 11.5 sacks including only three during 2019 with two coming in Week 1. While injuries have played a big part, many expected Floyd to finally take a major step forward in 2019 however, it's clear that Floyd doesn't have what it takes to be a top-tier edge rusher.

A major reason that Floyd seemed like an excellent pick back in 2016 is because the Bears were stuck in the middle of a rebuild that needed to see the defense infused with fresh talent, especially at the pass rusher position. Coming out of college, Floyd was seen as a guy with a freaky amount of athleticism and speed. However, there were also red flags such as a lack of muscle that many believed would hinder his ability to be a top-tier pass rusher.

Ryan Pace decided to pick up Floyd's fifth-year option a year ago and are set to owe him $13.2M in 2020. They could decide to rescind that fifth-year option to save them some money going into this offseason. Another option would be to try and work out a long-term deal that is team-friendly, freeing up some more cap space for this offseason

The Bears do not have the worst salary cap situation in the NFL, they also don't have the greatest either and freeing up an additional $13.2 million would allow them to add to target positions such as tight end, quarterback, and offensive line.

While we know what Floyd cannot do, he does provide some value in areas such as being able to disrupt the offensive line to create an opportunity for another player on defense.

Compared to 2018, Floyd's production did take a step back in a few key areas such as sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits. Despite this, Pace sees Floyd as being an integral part of the Bears core.

"Leonard does a lot of things that go a little undervalued," Pace said. "The versatility he provides, things he can do in coverage. Not a lot of outside linebackers that can provide the versatility he provides. Would we like more production with him? Yeah. Would he like that? Yeah. There's a lot of things he does that we like."

Over the last two seasons, 2018 and 2019, it finally appeared as if Floyd was ready to take a big step forward. While he has not, he's still one of the faces of the Bears defense after guys like Trevathan, Eddie Jackson, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, and Khalil Mack.

"We're happy with Leonard. I know the stats don't always say that," Pace said. "He plays with such a high motor. He plays physical. He played the run really well this year. Again, there's a lot of things in coverage that he does that a lot of outside linebackers in the NFL can't do. I think him just growing as a pass-rusher. I think Ted Monachino does a great job. That's something they're going to emphasize. There's a lot of times this year he's so close. If you look at his pressures, hits in the series, they're up there. The sack production, not so much."



Final verdict: There's no point in cutting Floyd. Doing so saves a significant amount of money however it would also mean that the Bears need to find someone to replace him. The value that Floyd provides as a run defender, as well as the asset he is in coverage means he's worth keeping around since the Bears might not find a player of his caliber on day two or three of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Working out a team-friendly deal for multiple years might be Chicago's best bet this offseason. It would keep Floyd on the roster and allow them to free up some more cap space without creating another need on this defense.