Chalk Talk: Should Bears trade down in draft?

[Staley Da Bear]

I've heard that the Bears have limited salary cap space, even after creating about $13.5 million by releasing Prince Amukamara and Taylor Gabriel. Do you think they'll have enough resources to make the moves they want to make in free agency?
Bryan P.
Pennsylvania


General manager Ryan Pace expressed confidence this week at the NFL Combine that the Bears will have the salary cap space required to sign players they'll target when free agency begins with the start of the new league year March 18. Said Pace: "Between myself and [director of football administration] Joey Laine, we have a plan in place to kind of make sure we have the space we need to make the moves we need to make. We feel good about it. We might not have the cap space we've had in previous years, but we don't have as many holes throughout our roster as well either."


Who do you think will replace departed veterans Prince Amukamara and Taylor Gabriel in the starting lineup? Do you think that the Bears would promote receiver Riley Ridley and cornerback Duke Shelley or maybe look elsewhere for new starters?
João A
Lisbon, Portugal


I think the most likely scenario at this point is that receivers Anthony Miller, Javon Wims and Riley Ridley and cornerbacks Kevin Toliver and Duke Shelley will compete with players the Bears acquire during the offseason for the starting jobs that were held by Taylor Gabriel and Prince Amukamara. Here's what general manager Ryan Pace said this week at the NFL Combine about filling those two positions: "There are some guys [on the current roster] that we like. You think of guys like Kevin Toliver and Ridley and Wims. There's some depth there that we like. But we'll explore other avenues to increase competition there as well."