Sometimes, when your roster is finally in a place where it has talent depth, the team must start accepting that you can’t keep everybody you like. Good teams always go through that experience this time of year. They know at least one or two guts they have to cut may end up elsewhere. That happened to the Chicago Bears on Wednesday. The news came in that the waiver wire claims had gone through. Every player the team had released made it through except one. Tight end Brenden Bates had been snatched by the New York Jets.
This is a sad turn of events. Bates signed with Chicago as an undrafted free agent out of Kentucky. He went on to have a great preseason, catching four passes for 86 yards and making four special teams tackles. Under normal conditions, he would’ve made the roster. However, the Bears already had Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, and Marcedes Lewis in place. They weren’t willing to carry four tight ends. No doubt they hoped to sneak Bates onto the practice squad. New York spoiled that. Aaron Rodgers keeps finding ways to haunt them.
The Chicago Bears can’t afford to lament this turn of events.
Good teams occasionally lose promising players this way. The fact that Bates got claimed is a surefire sign the Bears are headed in the right direction. It will be interesting to see where things go for him in New York. Given their lack of depth at tight end, he could get opportunities sooner. If nothing else, this is further proof that GM Ryan Poles remains pretty good at uncovering talent on the undrafted market. Bates wasn’t the only one who had a standout preseason this past month.
Cornerback Reddy Steward was excellent, nabbing two interceptions and two tackles for a loss. Linebacker Carl Jones Jr. was among the team leaders in tackles. Running back Ian Wheeler scored three touchdowns. Steward made it onto the practice squad. Jones may soon follow. Wheeler sadly tore his ACL. Bates would’ve been a great developmental project for the Chicago Bears, especially with Everett and Lewis on the older side. Expect them to now bring back Tommy Sweeney, who also had a solid preseason.
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@jmscooby — I was agreeing with the logic of your predictions. You’re one of the few willing to “put it in writing” (along with Dr. Steven Sallie). For all the “cheap talk” coming from Erik Lambert’s avid readers very little is anything but ad hominem silliness and “me too” support for a “perpetual rookie” GM with a 10-24 record to date. I’m eagerly awaiting @Dr. Melhus, @Tred, @PoochPest, @jim Jones, @David, @BearCub30, @Chubbs23 @jack60616, @ManGod, @BearDownTX, @JFK was AFK, and the other adult visitors of SM to join in, and make their “bold predictions” for the upcoming 2024 NFL season.… Read more »
Great job collecting all those negatives sally and gena. Bottom feeders. Sally likes to reference hyenas. Sally and gena are like carp in a Bass lake. Trolling around eating crap off the bottom. Carp are an invasive species that ruin any environment they enter. Sound familiar?
Dr. S. I haven’t heard a peep about the S Roberts signing. They are more upset about their horrible OL, Brissett is awful, and Maye is not ready. The blood clots keeping Christian Barmore out for the year hurts, but their D is solid. I think they are worried about CB Christian Gonzalez looking awful in camp.
I’ve heard Jordan Love has looked like stank in camp, too.
TGena, the only way I would have traded the 1.01 pick was if we went with Penix at #9. My other 2 options were acquiring Davis Mills or Kyle Trask…. and then collecting that big ass haul. I’m not too complimentary of the staff, I hope. The only way i accepted that JJ re-signing was at 16M, which I stated way before the signing. We then got an extra 30M so Poles did exactly that. I’d have rolled with my young CBs I have, and just cut…and let them develop. Personally, I think Poles will trade him in 2 years.… Read more »
More importantly, I have been able to acquire on Saturday four tickets to an Oasis reunion concert next year in London–for my live-in woman, my outside woman, and me. Who will get the last ticket has yet to be determined. I hope the Gallagher Bros still hate each other. The more they hate, the better each does. They have admitted to such in the past. Go Bears!!