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What should Bears give up for Maxx Crosby? The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen on Crosby's fit with Chicago
On this edition of CST Podcast, Tina Nguyen is joined by Senior NFL Writer Ted Nguyen to discuss if Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson is a better fit for the Bears, why the interior of the defensive line needs an upgrade, and the players Ted is keeping an eye out on at the NFL Combine next week.
In a cost-cutting move, the Chicago Bears have released a veteran linebacker.
It will be far from the last move the Bears make as they try and get over the cap by reshaping their defensive personnel.
What we know:
The Bears released Amen Ogbongbemiga on Thursday afternoon. The move will save the Bears about $1.1 million in cap space, bringing the team to about $9.5 million over the cap.
Ogbongbemiga was signed before the 2024 season as a special teams ace. He played sparingly on defense that year.
In 2025, injuries kept him from playing at the start of the season. He returned to the field in time to play a critical role in a win over the Steelers.
Down Ruben Hyppolite II, Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards, Ogbongbemiga stepped in as a primary linebacker alongside D'Marco Jackson and recorded 28 combined tackles.
Putting it into perspective: Ogbongbemiga finished the win over Pittsburgh with 14 combined tackles. He had 13 total tackles in 2024.
"Injuries and stuff, I've never really been here in my career," Ogbongbimega said after the win over Pittsburgh. "This one meant a lot."
He finished the season with 17 total tackles and one pass breakup. Most of the work he did on special teams brought a more consistent impact to the team.
Now, in an effort to win back some cap space, Ogbongbemiga will be a free agent.
What's next:
This could be the first of a slew of changes to the Bears' defense.
The personnel on defense in 2025 comprised veterans who were originally signed to play in former head coach Matt Eberflus' defense.
Many expected linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to be released first. His release would save the Bears about $15 million in cap space, which would help the Bears get back over the cap immediately.
But, there needs to be more work done. The Bears have needs on defense, specifically on the defensive line. Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, Both starting safeties, are free agents and they can most likely afford to bring back just one of the two.
There will be new faces at Halas Hall this season. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will most likely have a big say in who those players will be.
The safety decisions will be the biggest ones, as reserve safeties Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens are also free agents along with Byard and Brisker.
"When you add the other safeties into that mix, and all of the other decisions that we have across the roster, cap restraints, things like that, it will be a challenge," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in January. "That's part of what we do."