5 Pending Free Agents Bears Should Let Walk This Offseason

If the Chicago Bears want to experience better results during the 2024 NFL campaign, they must let these five pending free agents walk this offseason.

DE Yannick Ngakoue is one of five free agents whom the Bears should let walk this offseason. / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

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3. Robert Tonyan, TE

The Bears had one of the worst passing games in 2023 and Robert Tonyan didn't exactly do much to help fix that struggle.

The former Green Bay Packers tight end was practically invisible throughout the campaign despite playing all 17 games. His 64.7% catch percentage was a major decrease from last year's number (79.1%) as he hauled in 11-of-17 targets for only 112 receiving yards without a TD. His 6.6 yards per game was also, by far, his lowest output since his rookie campaign (4.4).

When a tight end struggles to put up offensive numbers, the hope is that they can at least be a solid blocker. Unfortunately, Tonyan couldn't do that either. His 38.9 PFF run block grade was the second-worst mark on the team, only better than Mooney at 30.1.

With fellow TE Cole Kmet beginning to make $11.5 million in 2024, I see the Bears going with a rookie for the TE2 role over Tonyan next season. After all, it's hard to imagine even a first-year rookie having worse production than the 29-year-old.

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