3 Bears Who Should Be Cut Before Free Agency Opens

2. DeMarcus Walker, DL

The Chicago Bears signed former Denver Broncos second-round pick DeMarcus Walker to a pretty substantial free agent deal last offseason. Walker, who has been mostly a rotational player throughout the course of his career to this point, got a three-year deal from Chicago worth $21 million in total money and $10.5 million guaranteed at signing.

Here's where things get interesting for Walker this offseason.

There is a trigger in his contract where $5.15 million fully guarantees on March 16 if he's still on the Bears' roster. The Bears could add over $4.5 million to the salary cap if they let go of Walker before that March 16 trigger date, or they could pay him his nearly $8 million base salary.

Walker did have 16 QB hits this past season despite looking underwhelming at times, but his 3.5 sacks were a pretty disappointing number. I think there's a chance we could see the Bears move on after just one year of Walker, but given their salary cap situation, Walker might be worth the price of admission.

If the Bears go to free agency and see someone who could give them even more production in a full-time role at his position, it might be worth reallocating those $4.5 million in funds.