Eddie

Goldman

Goldman initially signed with the Falcons with 2022 before retiring a few days later. He then unretired in 2023, then was placed on the exempt list prior to the start of the season, effectively retiring again. Rapoport reports that the former Bear is now unretiring again to join the Falcons. The 30-year-old could carve out a role on the Falcons’ defensive line, but he has not played in a regular season game since 2021. Goldman will attempt another comeback for 2024.

In other words, Goldman has apparently decided to unretire. The 29-year-old defensive tackle could be part of Atlanta’s rotation this season after signing a one-year deal in July of 2022. Goldman has historically been a pretty good interior lineman, though he had a rough 2021 season and opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19.

Goldman finishes his career on a low note after a down 2021, but had five productive seasons in the middle for the Bears. His best season was probably 2018, when he finished with an 87.8 PFF run grade and 25 hurries for a 12-4 Bears team. The retirement of the former second-round pick leaves Atlanta’s tackle spot across from Grady Jarrett almost totally up for grabs. The only other player on the roster with any real NFL experience at the position is Vincent Taylor, who is coming off a torn Achilles.

The No. 39 overall pick of the 2015 draft, Goldman was released by the Bears back in March in a salary-slashing move. Now 28, Goldman has made 73 career starts across six seasons for Chicago despite opting out of the 2020 campaign. He’s a capable body for the Falcons’ interior rotation.

Goldman was cut in a salary-shedding move by the Bears over the weekend and turned 28 in January. The attractive part about Goldman is he’s a street free agent who won’t factor into the compensatory picks formula next year.

Goldman opted out of the 2020 season, but had been a solid starter in the middle for the Bears since being drafted in the second round in 2015. The move frees up $6.6 million in cap space for the Bears while adding $5.15 million in dead cap. Goldman is coming off a down season but should draw plenty of interest on the open market.

Goldman opted out of the 2020 season due to concerns about the virus. It’s not confirmed that he’s vaccinated, but the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser noted that he was walking around facilities without a mask on, which means he probably is fully vaxxed. It’s also unclear whether he actually tested positive or if he was just a close contact. Either way, he’ll be away from training camp for a short while until he clears NFL protocols.

Pennel was a rotational run-stuffer for the Chiefs last year, picking up one start in 14 games after serving a two-game suspension. With one sack and two TFLs in the past four years, Pennel will play primarily on early downs with the Bears. The signing could be a tell that there’s some type of rift between defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and Chicago. Goldman was absent from minicamp and Bears coach Matt Nagy noted that his absence was unexcused.

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the move is due to “health concerns,” so perhaps Goldman will receive the “high risk” stipend of $350,000 instead of the standard $150,000. Players are not eligible for the $350,000 if the higher risk belongs to a family member. Goldman’s guaranteed $4.75 million salary now tolls to the 2021 campaign. The No. 39 overall pick of the 2015 draft, Goldman seemed to break out in 2018, but he returned to being a league-average player in 2019. It’s still a huge loss from a snaps perspective, especially against the run.

There are no real surprises here in the regular-season finale. Chicago has nothing to play for as they’ve been eliminated from playoff contention. Minnesota also has nothing to play for, but that’s because they’re locked into the No. 6 seed.