The Chicago Bears have made the decision to release nose tackle Eddie Goldman as part of their extensive overhaul under new general manager Ryan Poles, formerly of the Kansas City Chiefs. The move might go on to help Poles’ former team knowing how much they could use more options to take up space on the open market.
NFL reporter Ian Rapoport broke the news that Goldman was being set free, but it’s not a surprise given that the Bears have been quite public in their attempts to move on from him via trade in the last few days.
The Bears have been shedding expensive defensive talent this week with the earlier trade of pass rusher Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers, a move that saved the Bears approximately $60 million over the next three years. Goldman was in the midst of a four-year deal worth up to $42 million himself, with two full seasons left at nearly a $12M cap hit.
Goldman just turned 28 years old earlier this spring, so he’s still young with some assumed prime years left in front of him if he desires and stays healthy. He’s also remained durable with 14 games played or more in each of the last four seasons up front for the Bears. Primarily a run-stuffer, Goldman is not going to wow anyone with his statistical production, but the Chiefs will be shopping on these aisles all the same.
As for Goldman to the Chiefs, it’s not a great fit given Goldman’s role as a nice 3-4 fit and experience. However, most fronts are versatile these days and Goldman only further crowds the market to help drive up supply to meet demand. For every talented player who is free to sign with a new team, it’s another option to help lower costs and thin the competition.