CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 01: Bobby Massie #70, Germain Ifedi #74 and Sam Mustipher #67 of the Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Matt Nagy’s club rallied to reach the playoffs but it was a short stay.
After not reaching the postseason for seven consecutive years from 2011-17, the Chicago Bears have qualified for the playoffs two of the past three years. But in each instance, Matt Nagy’s team was one-and-done. Then again, when your club is able to survive a six-game midseason losing streak and issues at quarterback, it may be times to count your blessings.
But it’s another offseason and it will be interesting to see what direction the team is headed. Of course, the Bears are likely looking for a quarterback as the team did not pick up the fifth-year option on 2017 first-round hurler Mitch Trubisky. Could the team make a play for Dak Prescott? Or are there other options out there?
Regardless, the team could look to open up a little more salary cap room (via Spotrac) over the next few weeks. Hence, here are three surprising choices that could indeed wind up getting the pink slip.
3. RT Bobby Massie
Matt Nagy’s offensive line wound up receiving a mediocre grade this past season from Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Bears finished 20th on this PFF list when it comes to trench play. Chicago ranked 26th in the league in total offense and only seven teams in the NFL gained fewer yards per game on the ground (102.9 average).
Right tackle Bobby Massie played better this past season than in 2019 when he was available. But he also missed eight games in 2020 with a knee injury. This follows a year in which he played in only 10 contests. He is Pro Football Focus’ 36th-ranked tackle. General manager Ryan Pace and the team could look to move on from the nine-year pro, who has spent the past five seasons with the Bears.