The Chicago Bears have 24 hours to go before their roster must be whittled down from the 80 they had last week to the NFL-mandated 53. This is the time of year when it gets pretty cutthroat for a lot of players trying to hold onto jobs. Not everybody who might deserve that opportunity will be able to realize their dream. For others, it will be a simple numbers game.
Curious who the Bears have let go so far? Here is a tracker that Sports Mockery will keep up to date as the news continues to drop. It will be interesting to see if somebody unexpected finds themselves on their way out.
WR Chris Lacy
The journeyman veteran took over Anthony Miller’s #17 in training and had some nice moments along the way. Sadly he failed to capitalize in the preseason, making few noteworthy plays and having some unfortunate drops on top of that.
OL Adam Redmond
One could argue the Bears need some competition at center for Sam Mustipher but that is a luxury they can’t afford. Not when Cody Whitehair and James Daniels can both play the position if needed. Redmond looked fine in preseason but didn’t do enough to demand attention.
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TE Scooter Harrington
With Jesse James and then Jesper Horsted making big plays in the preseason, the undrafted rookie was left in the dust. He didn’t do much of note in training camp and dropped his the only pass thrown his way in the finale against Tennessee.
DE Daniel Archibong
This is one of those sad cases of a position being too loaded to accommodate a good player. Archibong had a solid camp and looked good in the preseason too, registering a sack and multiple pressures on the quarterback. The Chicago Bears defensive front is just too stacked right now. He should end up on the practice squad.
OL Dieter Eiselen
Dieter Eiselen showed promise during his time with the Bears as a project for Juan Castillo. Expect him to be a solid candidate for the practice squad.
RB Artavis Pierce
Another player the Bears liked enough to carry on the roster in 2020 and invite back to camp, even after adding Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert to the room. Pierce scored a long touchdown in Jacksonville last season that helped seal the Bears’ eighth win and Wild Card positioning. The Bears like Pierce’s quickness and burst, and he’s sure to be another practice squad candidate.
OLB Sam Kamara
One of the most pleasant surprises of the past month for the Bears. An undrafted rookie out of Stony Brook, Kamara swiftly emerged as a legitimate pass rush presence. This despite having come in as a defensive tackle. He will be somebody the team definitely eyes for their practice squad.
RB Ryan Nall
He survived a number of years as a reserve at running back and on special teams. However, the Chicago Bears made notable investments at the position this offseason with Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert. This made Nall’s status pretty clear.
WR Riley Ridley
People are still trying to figure out why Ridley wasn’t a bigger success. The former 4th round pick has plenty of promise. Unfortunately, he just never did enough in practice to convince the coaches he deserved more opportunities. After a drop-filled August, his exit was pretty much inevitable.
CB Thomas Graham Jr.
This is the first surprise of the Bears’ cuts. Graham came in from Oregon with a lot of intrigue. He had a reputation for being a ballhawk and seemed to have some nice moments in the reason. Not enough of them though. The ascent of Marqui Christian and Tre Roberson likely led to his exit. The practice squad is a safe bet for the 6th round pick.
Tyrone Wheatly Jr.
A former Michigan tight end, Wheatly remade himself into a tackle and performed well in The Spring League. This earned him an invitation to training camp. Unfortunately, an undisclosed illness kept him out for a couple of weeks. So his chances were never quite there. It sounds like the team may seek to continue exploring him on the practice squad.
OLB James Vaughters
This one has less to do with what the player himself didn’t do and more to do with what somebody else accomplished. Vaughters played well in the preseason. The problem is Trevis Gipson, the Bears’ 5th round pick from last year, played better. Along with the presence of Jeremiah Attaochu, there just wasn’t any room for the veteran.
OLB Charles Snowden
Another case of the player himself not being the issue. Like Vaughters, the undrafted rookie had a handful of exciting moments over the past month. Under normal circumstances, he’d likely be on the roster. The depth at outside linebacker just makes that impossible right now. No doubt the Bears will seek to get him on the practice squad.
OG Arlington Hambright
The former 7th round pick did what he could last season to help an injury-riddled offensive line. He certainly wasn’t the worst blocker in camp, but with the Bears being solid on the interior, there was no way he was going to crack the roster. Not with Alex Bars fixed as the obvious backup.
K Brian Johnson
Cairo Santos was locked in as the kicker the moment he signed that contract extension. That said, Johnson took full advantage of his opportunity in Chicago with a flawless preseason. If he doesn’t get claimed by a team, the Bears would be wise to sneak him onto the practice squad in case Santos gets injured.
WR Isaiah Coulter
The former 5th round pick arrived late in training camp for the Chicago Bears. So his odds of making the roster were always low. Still, he made a couple of catches in the finale and some practice film as well. He is certainly a nice mix of size and athleticism. Perhaps they view him as somebody they can develop.
WR Dazz Newsome
This one is the first genuine shocker. While Newsome wasn’t able to shine in the preseason because of an injury setback, it still felt like he had a place on the Bears’ roster as a punt returner option. Apparently, he didn’t show coaches enough to warrant that. Now it becomes a question of if they’ll put him on the practice squad.
CB Desmond Trufant
Some might be surprised by this. They shouldn’t. There was no way to truly justify Trufant staying on the roster. He didn’t stand out in practice. He was hurt at one point and then didn’t play a single preseason game. The guy didn’t earn a roster spot. He may have been a big name at one point. That isn’t the case anymore.
CB Artie Burns
The Bears clearly don’t like where they’re at with the cornerback position. Burns didn’t play all that poorly but he clearly didn’t stand out either. The former 1st round pick has been a disappointment since arriving in the league with Pittsburgh.
S Marqui Christian
This is a minor surprise. Christian had some nice moments in training camp and looked decent in preseason too. Perhaps the Bears just feel they have a logjam at safety as it is. With no true value as a nickel cornerback, it was hard to find space for him.
DB Teez Tabor
This is unfortunate. Tabor was really starting to play well two weeks ago both in practice and the preseason. Then he suffered an injury that set him back. The timing was brutal and it ended up costing him a roster spot.
CB Tre Roberson
This is another sad situation of timing. Roberson had his best game of the preseason in Tennessee with a tackle for a loss and a pick-six. He likely would’ve made the roster but suffered a concussion during the game.
DE LaCale London
With all the depth Chicago has on the defensive line, there just wasn’t any room for London. He hung in there for longer than expected but this always felt like a move that was inevitable. He could end up on the practice squad though.
CB Dionte Ruffin
Sensing the pattern yet. The Chicago Bears have basically purged their entire cornerback position. Ruffin isn’t a surprise. He was one of the name most expected would be out. Yet it still underscores how deep the purge went at that position. Honestly, given how it played in the preseason? It makes sense.
