Who Stays, Who Goes

[BearJET44]

Green = Player should return for 2008.
Red = Buh-Bye!
Yellow = Depends on other offseason moves, and/or performance in the second half of the '07 season.

QB
Rex Grossman
Brian Griese
Although Griese has thrown a high number of picks, it's hard to blame him when he has no running game and has to constantly play from behind. Besides, I loved the guts he showed in leading 3 4th quarter comebacks in a row. He'll be a perfect stopgap while we (hopefully) prepare a quarterback of the future.
Kyle Orton

FB
Jason McKie

HB
Cedric Benson
I was really close to putting his name in red, but I'd like to see what he can do behind a halfway decent O-line before cutting him loose. It could really go either way, though, since cutting him could open up some much-needed cap room.
Adrian Peterson
Garrett Wolfe
I thought he was an UDFA caliber prospect in the first place, and he's done nothing to make anyone think he can be anything more than a roster filler in the NFL. He was a great college back, but he just doesn't belong in the professional ranks. Cutting him could clear the way for a RB with starter potential.

WR
Muhsin Muhammad
He's another potential cap casualty due to his age and decreased production, but I think it would be wise to keep him around if we draft a QB. He's still the most reliable WR on the roster, and having a good possession target could go a long way towards making a young QB feel comfortable.
Bernard Berrian
Now that he's represented by mega-agent Drew Rosenhaus, you know he's going to be asking for more than he's really worth. With Hester slowly growing into the deep threat role, it's probably not worth it to overpay for a WR who's fairly one-dimensional.
Devin Hester
Rashied Davis
Mark Bradley
Bradley really needs to show that he's completely over the string of injuries he had in 2005/2006. He's done well with the limited opportunities he's been given, but the Bears haven't yet come close to tapping his full potential.
Mike Hass

TE
Desmond Clark
Greg Olsen
John Gilmore

OT
John Tait
Tait been missing time lately, and he's vulnerable to speed rushers. You can't just cut your LT and go with a rookie, though, and the FA market is usually pretty thin when it comes to starting LTs.
Fred Miller
He's old, expensive and declining. Miller has "cap casualty" written all over him.
John St. Clair
Hopefully this will be the last year in Chicago for John "The Human Turnstyle" St. Clair. I have no idea how he's even made the roster the last few years; even in the preseason he's looked awful.

OG
Ruben Brown
He's a free agent, and it's safe to say he won't be re-signed.
Roberto Garza
Terrence Metcalf
Josh Beekman

OC
Olin Kreutz

DT
Tommie Harris
Darwin Walker
Walker's played better than his 0 sack total indicates, but the fact remains that he has not made a sack since the Bears traded for him. He could be a cap casualty if he doesn't make more of an impact later in the year.
Dusty Dvoracek
Anthony Adams
Antonio Garay

DE
Adewale Ogunleye
Mark Anderson
Alex Brown
Assuming Brown is open to returning, it might be a good idea to start giving him a few more snaps so as to allow Mark Anderson to return to more of a 3rd down role. However, if he's going to remain the 3rd man in the rotation, it might be best to let him move on.
Israel Idonije

OLB
Lance Briggs
I thought Briggs was someone the Bears could make do without, but I was wrong. He's been absolutely dominant lately, and Urlacher's back issue makes signing Briggs even more imperative. There's also the fact that top backup/successor Jamar Williams looked lost at times while Briggs was injured. At this point, giving him a big contract would be worth the expense.
Hunter Hillenmeyer
Jamar Williams
Michael Okwo
Brendon Ayanbedejo

MLB
Brian Urlacher
It goes without saying that Urlacher will be back, but some tweaking may need to be done on his contract if it looks like his arthritis could affect his long-term future.
Rod Wilson
With Urlacher's longterm future in doubt due to his back issues, it would be wise to find a backup MLB with more potential than Wilson has. He's mostly a special teams player.

CB
Charles Tillman
Nathan Vasher
Ricky Manning, Jr.
Trumaine McBride
Corey Graham

S
Mike Brown
He's spent too many seasons on IR, simple as that. If he retires, it might be nice to bring him back as a DB coach.
Adam Archuleta
Danieal Manning
Manning's looked terrible at every position they've tried him at; he takes bad angles and misses too many tackles, and he doesn't have much of a feel for zone coverage. Time to admit he was a bust and move on.
Brandon McGowan
Kevin Payne

K
Robbie Gould

P
Brad Maynard

[DblRevPass]

I'm sure the cowboys wouldnt mind picking him up. they were pretty high on him during the draft plus they could use the depth in the secondary.

[flea]

You want to cut Garrett Wolfe after 1 year where he has barely touched the ball?????

[NinersLacking]

via Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com

The Bears have become the third team in four years to conclude that safety Adam Archuleta can't cover anyone, and that his best role anymore is as a special teams player. Of course, he makes way too much to play only on kickoff and punt coverage teams, so he could be gone at the end of the season. Another defensive back who might not be around in 2008 is nickel cornerback Ricky Manning, signed as a restricted free agent in 2006, but not getting much playing time in recent weeks.

[madlithuanian]

via Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com

There's not enough Bears to cut!

Thanks for the post.

PS - I was at SF this past weekend for the game. Bad game for you (I was hoping you'd beat Minny)...but having now seen P. Willis in person, the guy is amazing. I think he may end up being one of the best. As a Chicago fan, I know my LB's...and Willis looks like the real deal! (He doesn't have a bad teacher by the way!)

[NinersLacking]

Kudos for the report on Willis. Along with Joe Staley and some of the other younger players, Willis has been one of the few bright spots of an otherwise dismal season.

[madlithuanian]

No problem! I know all about dismal seasons!

[BearJET44]

You want to cut Garrett Wolfe after 1 year where he has barely touched the ball?????

Yep. With the uncertainty over Benson's future, I don't think we can afford to use up two roster spots on guys who will probably never be anything more than spot backs. Peterson's a good backup, and he contributes bigtime on special teams. That leaves Wolfe out in the cold.

Personally, I thought it was a joke he was drafted as high as he was. He's 175 pounds soaking wet, and his production will always be incredibly weak between the tackles. He didn't even make it through the preseason without landing on the injury report. He has some speed, sure, but he's certainly not a Brian Westbrook-type gamebreaker. Even if you manage to get him out in space, he's not going to make a ton of guys miss or break many tackles. Hopefully Angelo will realize how much he overestimated Wolfe's NFL potential and bring in a back or two with skills that translate better to the pro game.

BTW, I may have to change my mind about Berrian. He's really stepped up his game lately, making some very difficult clutch catches. If he continues to play at the level he's been playing at, he may be worth signing to a good longterm contract. I'm thinking $3-$4M a year would be fair, with $5-10M guaranteed. It all depends on how the market looks in the offseason, though. I still wouldn't want to break the bank to bring him back, especially with so many other needs to address.

[Mike~Mike]

You are trippin! Berrian is the best WR on the team my man chill. As far as Wolf he should be on the field more often.