Tag: Armon Watts

Bear Necessities: Armon Watts looking forward to return to Minnesota in Week 5

Bears DT Armon Watts is ready to face his former team, the Vikings in Week 5: “That is probably the one I’ve got marked off on my calendar.”

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Former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle Armon Watts was one of the biggest surprise cuts during final roster cutdowns, and Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles didn’t hesitate to claim him off waivers.

“I am pretty sure everyone in the state (of Minnesota) was surprised,” Watts said, via the Chicago Tribune. “It definitely was a letdown, but it’s part of the game. I had to adapt fast coming over here to Chicago. You know, everything happens for a reason, so I am excited to be here.”

Watts was projected to be a starter for Minnesota heading into the 2022 season. But with Kevin O’Connell taking over as head coach, the Vikings transitioned from a 4-3 to a 3-4 scheme. Watts’ skillset makes him more impactful in a 4-3 scheme, like the Bears employ. Still, going from a rotational player to expected starter, his cut was definitely shocking.

“I’m not blind. If I’m with the second or third team maybe you see it coming,” Watts said. “But it hit hard for me, especially being there going on four years (and) producing like I did last year. I am here with the Bears now, I am still in the NFC North and I am excited.”

Safe to say, Watts has been anticipating next Sunday’s game against the Vikings. Watts will get two shots against his former team, but this one holds special meaning given it’s in Minnesota.

“That is probably the one I’ve got marked off on my calendar,” Watts said. “Is it circled? Most definitely.”

DT Armon Watts believes he’ll thrive in this Bears defense

Armon Watts is ready to contribute for this Bears defense: “I think it’s the perfect defense for me. I think they’ll get a lot out of me.”

When Armon Watts was cut by the Minnesota Vikings during final cuts, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles wasted no time claiming him off waivers.

Watts was among the most shocking cuts around the league as he was a starter for the Vikings. Lucky for Watts, he’ll get two opportunities for revenge against his former team this season.

“For me it was crazy, because it kinda took me completely off guard,” Watts said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I was a starter in Minnesota, so not making their 53-man took me completely off guard.”

Last season, Watts had a breakout season with Minnesota last season, where he notched five sacks, two forced fumbles, 46 tackles and 10 QB hits in all 17 games with nine starts.

But with Minnesota transitioning to a 3-4 defense, Watts was no longer a scheme fit.

Lucky for the Bears, who are transitioning to a 4-3 defense, Watts became the perfect nose tackle for this new-look defense.

“I think it’s the perfect defense for me,” Watts said. “I think they’ll get a lot out of me.”

How so?

“Just being able to attack and use my skillset in the pass (rush),” he said.

Watts hasn’t been with the Bears long, but he’s already leaving a strong impression on this coaching staff.

“Just an athlete,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “He’s an athlete that stays on his feet. He’s got really good rush ability, which is what we’re looking for in there, but he’s also got anchor to stay in there and anchor the point. He’s a really good addition and we’re excited to get him and we’re excited to work with him and his pass rush– even to get better and learn our style.”

While Watts was listed behind Justin Jones at 3-technique, he’s someone who will push for playing time and perhaps the starting nose tackle job against Angelo Blackson.

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Analyzing the Bears’ new waiver wire additions

Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the 7 new waiver wire additions to the roster.

The Chicago Bears added some new faces to the roster after claiming seven players off waivers last week in offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, defensive tackle Armon Watts, receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, linebacker Sterling Weatherford, defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, cornerback Josh Blackwell and tight end Trevon Wesco.

General manager Ryan Poles landed some talented players with plenty of potential as he continues to build his roster.

Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the seven new waiver wire additions to the roster.

Grading the Bears’ seven waiver wire signings

The Bears claimed seven players off waivers this week, including Alex Leatherwood and Armon Watts. We grade the new additions:

The Chicago Bears made several roster moves after setting their initial 53-man roster. Following roster cuts, new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus continued to put their stamp on the roster by claiming seven players off of waivers — the most in the NFL.

Poles and Eberflus inherited a team with limited draft capital and money to spend on free agents. To make matters worse, they changed the offensive and defensive scheme, leaving them with a roster of players who didn’t fit the future vision.

The seven waiver claims this week are additions of players who the front office believes either fit the culture, the scheme or are value picks with upside.

Below we grade the seven new roster additions.

Highlights of every new Bears roster addition

The Bears claimed six players off waivers, including Alex Leatherwood and Armon Watts. Check out highlights of each player:

The Chicago Bears made several roster moves after setting their initial 53-man roster. They claimed six players off of waivers, which was the most in the league.

That included former first-round offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, who lasted just one year in Las Vegas before being a surprise cut. Another surprise cut was former Vikings defensive tackle Armon Watts, who comes to Chicago as an upgrade at the nose tackle position.

Chicago also claimed comeback Josh Blackwell, defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, linebacker Sterling Weatherford and tight end Trevon Wesco.

In corresponding roster moves, Chicago waived rookie offensive lineman Zachary Thomas, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, linebacker Caleb Johnson and cornerback Duke Shelley. They also terminated the contract of linebacker Joe Thomas and placed receiver Tajae Sharpe on injured reserve.

The Bears have welcomed six new members to the roster. Here are highlights of each of them:

Vikings practice squad tracker

Keep track of all the Vikings practice squad additions

Cutdown day is behind us and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is moving on to the next task of building up his first practice squad.

The Vikings were hoping to have both Kellen Mond and Armon Watts sneak onto the practice squad, but both players were claimed on waivers early Wednesday morning.

Throughout the day on Wednesday and into the week, we will be updating this to reflect who is on the Vikings practice squad heading into the 2022 season.

Practice Squad

  • OG Kyle Hinton
  • RB Bryant Koback
  • S Myles Dorn
  • DL T.J. Smith
  • LB William Kwenkeu
  • WR Trishton Jackson
  • C Josh Sokol
  • TE Nick Muse

2 former Vikings claimed off waivers

The Vikings were hoping to keep both players

After cutdown day yesterday, waivers ran four hours earlier than normal to allow for teams to build their practice squads in time for practice this afternoon.

The Minnesota Vikings weren’t awarded any players on waivers, but they did have two players claimed from their roster cuts yesterday in quarterback Kellen Mond and defensive tackle Armon Watts.

Of all the players that the Vikings moved on from yesterday, these were the two likely claims by other NFL teams.

Mond was a 2021 third-round pick out of Texas A&M with the tools of a modern-day NFL quarterback: live arm, mobile and can excel outside of structure. His issues are what led the Vikings to move on from him. He struggles to see the field both accurately and quickly along with not being able to succeed past his first progression.

Watts is a starting caliber player on the interior. A former sixth-round pick out of Arkansas, he was waived strictly from a salary cap perspective. He was projected to be a starter on the Vikings defensive line this season.

The Vikings will be making plenty of moves today including building out their practice squad.

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Every NFL team’s most surprising roster cut

Highlighting the most shocking roster cut for each NFL team.

With the preseason in the books, every NFL team has now trimmed their roster to the league–mandated 53 players. While these rosters will certainly undergo changes over the next couple of days, each team has their initial 53-man roster set.

But when going from 80 to 53 players, there are some tough calls NFL general managers have to make in the process. And there were certainly some shocking moves across the league during the final roster cuts, which should make for some interesting moves on the waiver wire.

We’ve rounded up our NFL Wires editors to highlight the most surprising roster cut from every NFL team.

Minnesota Vikings trade for Houston Texans DL Ross Blacklock

The Vikings make their second player trade in August by acquiring a pass rusher

After a surprising move in waiving DL Armon Watts, the Minnesota Vikings made a trade for Houston Texans DL Ross Blacklock.

A former top-40 selection, Blacklock was a solid player for the Houston Texans but excelled as a pass rusher. Over his two seasons, Blacklock saw his PFF grades rise year-over-year with a high at 66.4 in pass rushing.

This is clearly viewed as an upside move by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as the Texans defense has been abysmal over the last two seasons. Moving on from Watts is curious, as he was a more versatile defender. While Watts was a good pass rusher, he is a much better run defender than what Blacklock is currently.

The difference between the two must not have been significant enough to give up capital and save around $1 million in cap space. It also could mean that other moves are on the horizon.

Be sure to keep tabs on all the Vikings roster cuts with our tracker.

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Minnesota Vikings release DL Armon Watts

The Vikings shocked everyone with this roster move

Every year, there is a shocking release and the Minnesota Vikings have come through again in that regard. They have released first-team defensive lineman Armon Watts.

This one is a massive surprise considering they had him listed at the top of the depth chart. The move does save 2.54 million dollars on the salary cap, which does lend some credence as to the why behind it.

Watts was a projected starter for this team but he also was the only starter to have played in the second preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers. It was obvious that he wasn’t locked into the starter role and the Vikings wanted a longer look at Watts.

Be sure to keep tabs on all the Vikings roster cuts with our tracker.

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