Stay or go? Here's a look at Bears' options

With Matt Forte locked up with the franchise tag, the Bears have 13 other players who will hit the free-agent market beginning at 3 p.m. Tuesday — unless they are re-signed before then.

None of the remaining 13 players is expected to attract a blockbuster, big-money deal, so at least some will be back with the Bears when training camp begins in late July. There are compelling reasons for the Bears to re-sign many of them, the biggest being that most could come at a bargain price.

But none are considered irreplaceable.

Here's the skinny on why the Bears could keep each of their free agents and why they could let them leave:

Kahlil Bell

Keep him: Bell is a restricted free agent who should receive a contract tender from the Bears at a high enough level that would give them draft-pick compensation if another team signs him. He was impressive in late-season action last year.

Let him go: Even in limited action last season, Bell fumbled three times, and if Marion Barber is retained (questionable), Bell might not have much of a role.

CB Zack Bowman

Keep him: At 6-feet-1, 196 pounds, Bowman has started 16 games and has ideal size to match up with the big wide receivers who impact today's pass-heavy offenses.

Let him go: Bowman has failed to hold on to the starting job on three different occasions, most recently in Week 16 last season.

TE Kellen Davis

Keep him: The 6-foot-7, 267-pounder led the Bears with 5 TD catches, even though he had just 18 receptions and has the skill set to be an all-around player.

Let him go: With just 28 catches in four seasons, Davis has yet to emerge as a difference-maker.

CB Corey Graham

Keep him: He led the Bears with 22 special-teams tackles, impressive enough to earn a Pro Bowl berth. When he finally got a chance to play defense, he picked off passes in three straight games while filling in at nickel back.

Let him go: Since starting nine games in 2008, Graham has just one start in the past three seasons - when he wasn't exactly competing with an all-star cast for playing time.

QB Caleb Hanie

Keep him: He's athletic and has been in the Bears program

for four years.

Let him go: Hanie was a huge disappointment when he finally got a chance to play late last season, throwing 9 interceptions and just 3 touchdowns in four starts and playing himself out of the lineup. The Bears reportedly will not re-sign him.

DE Israel Idonije

Keep him: A late-bloomer, Idonije has started 31 games over the past two seasons and is tough against the run. His 57 tackles last season were by far the most of any Bears defensive lineman.

Let him go: He'll be 32 before next season is over, and the Bears would like to get more of a pass-rush threat than they did from Idonije last season (5 sacks).

CB Tim Jennings

Keep him: He's started 28 games over the past two seasons, and he plays bigger and tougher than his size (5-feet-8, 185 pounds) would indicate. He was fourth on the team last season with 87 tackles.

Let him go: Still, he's 5-feet-8 and has a total of 3 interceptions in two years.

LS Chris Massey

Keep him: Patrick Mannelly, the Bears' long-snapper for the past 14 years, is still rehabbing from the torn ACL that ended his 2011 season in November, and he might not be 100 percent for some time.

Let him go: Even though the position lends itself to longevity, the Bears would probably prefer to develop a long-snapper younger than Massey, who will be 33 by training camp.

QB Josh McCown

Keep him: Not that he set the world on fire in two season-ending starts, going 1-1, but if the nine-year veteran canmanage the offense after being out of football for more than a year, he's worth keeping, at least as a No. 3.

Let him go: He'll be 33 before training camp starts, and if the Bears sign a backup in free agency, what do they do with last year's fifth-round pick Nathan Enderle?

S Brandon Meriweather

Keep him: The former first-round pick can be an intimidating presence in the secondary.

Let him go: A lot of his intimidation comes from the kind of hits that the NFL is trying to legislate out of the game, and he seemed to be phased out of the picture late last season.

DT Amobi Okoye

Keep him: Former first-rounder contributed in the defensive-line rotation last season and has five years' experience, even though he's still only 24, so he could have a lot of good football ahead of him.

Let him go: With starters Henry Melton and Matt Toeaina back, and last year's second-round pick Stephen Paea expected to play a bigger role, where does Okoye fit?

S Craig Steltz

Keep him: When he finally got an opportunity in the final five games, including four starts, the physical Steltz stepped up with 37 tackles, and he's a key special-teams contributor.

Let him go: With the Bears seeming to favor youngsters Chris Conte and Major Wright as the starters, Steltz's role could be limited to a backup spot.

WR Roy Williams

Keep him: At 6-feet-3, 215 pounds, he's easily the biggest of an undersized group of wide receivers.

Let him go: Despite high hopes last season, Williams' production was pedestrian: 37 catches, 507 yards, 2 TDs.