Like every other NFL front office member, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was a busy man over the last 48 hours. Poles and the Bears worked to finalize the initial active roster on Tuesday, but did more tinkering the next day with a couple of waiver claims and a free agent signing.
On Wednesday, the Bears claimed safety Quindell Johnson from the Los Angeles Rams and Khalid Kareem from the Indianapolis Colts. They also signed recently released punt returner Trent Taylor from the Cincinnati Bengals. In order to make room for the two waiver claims, the Bears waived safety A.J. Thomas and defensive end Terrell Lewis. No corresponding roster move has been made as of this writing for Taylor’s arrival.
The Bears were looking for depth at a couple of defensive positions and had a need for a new punt returner. Poles was able to accomplish that and fortify his team for their upcoming Week 1 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
As for the players themselves, did the Bears hit the mark? Or were there other options on the market that would have been better pickups? Here are our initial grades for Wednesday’s acquisitions.