Chicago Bears free agency: Cuts Bears should make to increase cap space

Lamarr Houston, Cap savings: $5.01

Houston was one of the prized signings in the 2014 offseason. He played well in Oakland and cashed in on his ability. Then he played for the Chicago Bears, and things went downhill.

It started in the middle of the 2014 season. The Bears were in a rut much like this season. The defense was historically awful for a once-proud franchise. They gave up fifty points like they were going out of style.

The Bears were in the middle of giving up another 50 point game when they faced the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. It was late in the game, and the Bears were down 48-23. Houston hadn’t recorded a sack for the season up until then. Ironically, the man the Bears are reportedly going after in this offseason, Jimmy Garoppolo, played in a mop-up role. Houston got through, and he finally got his first sack of the season. Instead of just going back to the huddle, he celebrated and ended up tearing up his ACL.

He came back in 2015 and had a good season. He played in all 16 games, and he recorded 8 sacks. Expectations were high going into the 2016 season.

Once again, something bad happened. Playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second game of the season, Houston tore his ACL once more.

The injury opened the door for Leonard Floyd, and he took advantage of it. He played well in his rookie season, and now there are questions about Houston heading into the new season.

Houston tore the ACL in both of his knees now. How he plays the rest of his career is in question. He is scheduled to make $6.99 million in 2017. The Bears may decide that is too much to pay for a player who missed 22 of a possible 48 games. If they cut him, they save $5.01 million.