The Chicago Bears made big news on Thursday for the players who left them, not for anyone coming in. Hours after Mitchell Trubisky left for the Buffalo Bills, Chicago released cornerback Kyle Fuller, putting a high-profile free agent on the market.

As Ian Rapoport reported in his tweet, this move — at least at first glance — is rooted in salary cap management. The Bears, according to Rapoport's analysis and inside awareness of this situation, were conscious of cap economics and felt they couldn't pay up to retain Fuller.

Plenty of NFL teams will eagerly vie for Fuller's services after this eye-opening move. The Bears will attempt to find value at plugging this hole on their roster, but the biggest question for the franchise is how it will address its longstanding problem, the quarterback position.

If the Bears move forward with releasing Fuller right now, he would create $11 million in cap space in 2021. But if Chicago chooses to release him with a post-June 1 designation, Fuller would then free up $14 million in cap savings for the upcoming season.

Fuller was the 14th overall pick by the Bears in the 2014 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. Ever since joining Chicago's defense in 2014, Fuller has been a mainstay in the secondary, playing in all 16 games in six of his seven NFL seasons.

Throughout his career, Fuller has been an underrated cornerback, making two Pro Bowls in seven seasons. He also earned an All-Pro nod in 2018 when he logged a career-best seven interceptions and 21 pass breakups.

With the first week of free agency nearing a close, Fuller now becomes a valuable cornerback on the open market. Some teams that would make sense for Fuller: the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

Instead of drastically upgrading at quarterback, the Bears added Andy Dalton on a one-year deal to replace Mitchell Trubisky. Instead of improving on defense, Chicago seems to be getting worse in the secondary with the loss of Fuller.