The Chicago Bears might be preparing for another significant roster move, given the way they structured star wide receiver DJ Moore’s new contract.

Moore’s four-year, $110 million extension, signed on July 30, was designed to free up substantial cap space for the 2024 season. Details from Over the Cap reveal that the Bears reduced Moore’s cap hit for 2024 from $16.05 million to just $7.2 million, backloading his contract and creating an additional $8.85 million in cap space. This adjustment brings their total available cap space to around $21 million.

While the Bears will need to allocate some of this cap space for in-season expenses, including the contracts for the 52nd and 53rd players on their roster and their practice squad, having nearly $9 million extra could be advantageous. This additional flexibility might allow them to acquire another significant player before the season begins.

Could the Bears leverage their cap space to trade for Matthew Judon?

With their increased spending room, the Bears now have the opportunity to address some weaknesses on their 90-man roster. They could seek additional help for the interior offensive line, particularly with right guard Nate Davis recovering from a “strain” injury. Alternatively, they might look to strengthen their defensive line, especially on the edge where they made few additions in 2024.

One potential target could be New England Patriots star Matthew Judon. Judon, who returned to practice on August 1 after missing a few sessions, has been a full participant since then. Although the four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher has expressed a desire for a new contract, he is scheduled to earn a $6.5 million base salary in 2024 and has indicated he will play even without a new deal, though he believes he deserves more.

Judon missed 13 games in 2023 due to a torn bicep, but he recorded 43.5 sacks and 107 quarterback hits over the previous four seasons (2019-2022) and was selected to the Pro Bowl each year. In the four games he played in 2023 before his injury, he managed four sacks.

Adding a player of Judon’s caliber to line up opposite star Montez Sweat would be a significant boost for the Bears’ defensive line. However, acquiring Judon presents a twofold challenge: the Bears would need to part with substantial draft capital, likely a third-round pick or more, and also negotiate a new contract with the soon-to-be 32-year-old. This is a considerable undertaking even with approximately $39.3 million in cap space available for the 2025 season.

The Bears might be planning for the future with the restructuring of DJ Moore’s contract.

Another potential move for the Bears could be re-signing Yannick Ngakoue, who was a starting defensive end for them in 2023. Despite recording only four sacks in 13 games and having his season cut short by an ankle injury in December, Ngakoue demonstrated improvement after the addition of Montez Sweat. With 69 career sacks over nine seasons, his experience could be valuable to the Bears.

However, the Bears might have been looking beyond the immediate future when they restructured DJ Moore’s contract to free up cap space. General manager Ryan Poles may be planning ahead for the 2024 NFL trade deadline on November 5.

Poles has a history of making deadline deals, having traded linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive end Robert Quinn while acquiring wide receiver Chase Claypool in 2022, and later acquiring Sweat from the Washington Commanders for a second-round pick in 2023. Although the Claypool trade was a significant misstep, the Sweat acquisition proved successful, with Poles securing him long-term with a four-year, $98 million extension shortly after Sweat joined the Bears.

Given the Bears’ improved roster, Poles may not feel as pressured to make another deadline move, but he does have an extra second-round pick from his 2023 trade with Carolina. If Poles decides to use that pick to acquire another impactful player, he will likely need the additional cap space to facilitate the trade.