The Bears entered this month with a huge amount of salary cap space. They weren’t afraid to use the roughly $79 million at their disposal.

Ryan Poles and his staff were aggressive acquiring top talent with eight-figure annual salaries, and didn’t shy away from paying those perceived as proper fits. After making moves for Jonah Jackson, Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett, Dayo Odeyingbo, Olamide Zaccheaus and Durham Smythe, there isn’t a ton left.

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That should be no shock considering the volume and quality acquired over the past two weeks.

Let’s offer a rest of the Bears’ salary-cap situation, using OverTheCap.com as our guide. Before we do, let’s note that Olamide Zaccheaus’ one-year deal has not been factored into the math.

Here’s what the Bears have remaining, as a 3 p.m. CT on Monday.

Bears salary cap space

(Numbers from OverTheCap.com and based on a stated $279.2 million cap)

Total cap space: $16.1 million

Effective cap space: $10.52 million (ranked No. 27 overall)

• NOTE: This is the projected total available after accounting for the Bears’ top 51 roster spots and the rookies from their upcoming draft class.

Dead money: $4.05 million (ranked No. 30 overall)

The effective cap space is key. It’s more accurate than the total, considering the Bears must pay those attached to their draft slots. The number could go up or down slightly with draft trades, but that’s a ballpark for what they have left after paying their draft class, as they already have 51 players on the roster.

We’ve also got to account for getting through an NFL season and the inevitable in-season signings and promotions that come with injuries and attrition. So, we should shrink that number a little bit more.

I say all that to say this. The Bears are certainly done spending big. The cap can always be manipulated, with a contract extension that gets a 2025 cap number way down, or a restructure.

The NFL draft will be the next big means of acquisition. Significant talent upgrades are available within it, if Poles and head coach Ben Johnson make the right moves. They own the No. 10 overall selection and Nos. 39, 41 and 72. Getting at least two instant impact players from that group would help the 2025 product and seemingly set the Bears up for a far more competitive season.

We don’t know who these major trades and free-agent signings will turn out. If most of them come up roses, the Bears will be a lot better.