Tag: Bears roster cuts

Analyzing the Bears’ 53-man roster after recent moves

We’re breaking down the Bears’ updated 53-man roster.

The Chicago Bears have finalized their 53-man roster, which featured some difficult cuts and some surprises to the roster.

While it’s only been a few days, there have already been multiple changes to the roster. That includes the additions of wide receiver Trent Taylor, defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson.

Chicago also placed left guard Teven Jenkins and center Doug Kramer on injured reserve, which means they’ll miss at least the first four games of the 2023 season.

We’re breaking down the Bears’ 53-man roster, which has already undergone changes with waiver claims and signings.

Former Bears Trevis Gipson, Kindle Vildor land with Titans

Former Bears Trevis Gipson and Kindle Vildor reunite with the Titans.

Two players from the Chicago Bears’ 2020 draft class have already found a new home in the league.

Former Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson and cornerback Kindle Vildor have landed with the Tennessee Titans. Vildor was claimed off waivers, per the wire, while Gipson announced he was signing with the Titans on social media. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler confirmed the move.

Gipson and Vildor were both former starters in Chicago, but the writing was on the wall after general manager Ryan Poles overhauled both defensive end and cornerback this offseason.

Gipson, a fifth-round pick by the Bears in 2020, had a career-best seven sacks in 2021. Unfortunately, he fell short of those expectations as part of the NFL’s worst pass rush, which totaled just 20 sacks in 2022. Gipson had 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three pass breakups.

Reports indicated that Chicago attempted to trade Gipson ahead of Tuesday’s roster cut deadline, but a deal wasn’t able to materialize. Instead, the Bears parted ways and Tennessee later landed him. Now, Gipson returns to a 3-4 defensive scheme.

Vildor started nine games last season with Chicago before he finished the 2022 season on injured reserve. After the additions of rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, Vildor seemed like the odd man out in the cornerback room. In his career, Vildor has played in 44 games and has 10 pass breakups and one interception. Now, he gets a fresh start with the Titans.

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Chicago Bears announce updated 53-man roster

Here’s a look at the Bears’ updated 53-man roster following the roster moves from Wednesday.

There’s a reason they call it an initial 53-man roster, as things could and surely will change, as was the case for the Chicago Bears on Wednesday.

The Bears claimed two players off waivers, including defensive end Khalid Kareem and defensive back Quindell Johnson. They are also signing wide receiver Trent Taylor, who was released by the Cincinnati Bengals.

They also parted ways with defensive end Terrell Lewis and safety A.J. Thomas and will place left guard Teven Jenkins on injured reserve in corresponding roster moves. Jenkins will have to miss at least the first four games and will be designated to return.

Here’s a look at Chicago’s updated 53-man roster following a flurry of roster moves:

How Bears rookie Tyson Bagent beat out P.J. Walker for QB2

Bears HC Matt Eberflus stopped short of naming Tyson Bagent the backup quarterback just yet.

From undrafted rookie to backup quarterback, Tyson Bagent was the most pleasant surprise when the Chicago Bears unveiled their initial 53-man roster.

Bagent’s magical preseason catapulted him into the QB2 role, where he beat out the likes of veterans P.J. Walker and Nathan Peterman, who were both part of roster cuts. That leaves Bagent as the only other quarterback on the roster behind starter Justin Fields.

But head coach Matt Eberflus stopped short of naming Bagent the backup quarterback just yet, explaining they’re going to let the roster work itself out.

“Just kinda letting the roster finalize itself,” Eberflus said. “We certainly feel great about where he is. He’s put his best foot forward, and we’re excited where we see him going in the future.”

Eberflus said they could look to add a veteran to the room, which could very well be Peterman signing to the practice squad. But, for all intents and purposes, Bagent appears set as QB2 heading into the regular season opener.

As for how an undrafted rookie out of Division II Shepherd was able to beat out a veteran, Eberflus credited Bagent for creating that competition, which he ultimately won.

“It was an open competition, and it was created,” Eberflus said. “It was created by the players. The players created that. Tyson really created that in practice, and he did it and created it in the games. What we saw from him was execution, poise, accuracy, and the ability to move the ball down the field. And again, he’s put his best foot forward.”

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Bears waive DE Terrell Lewis

The Bears are parting ways with DE Terrell Lewis, who was a standout player this summer.

The Chicago Bears set their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but we’re already seeing changes as they appear to be making room for incoming waiver claims.

The Bears have waived defensive end Terrell Lewis, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Lewis, a former third-round pick in 2020, was a standout player during training camp and preseason. He made a strong case for a roster spot, which he earned as part of the initial 53-man roster.

Chicago has now waived Lewis and former fifth-round pick Trevis Gipson, who had strong preseasons as they competed for a roster spot. The Bears could be looking to add a waiver claim to join the likes of Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson and Rasheem Green in the defensive end room.

Last week, Lewis made it clear he expected to make the 53-man roster. Which, technically he did. But he also understood nothing was guaranteed heading into the Week 1 opener.

“I would be surprised but at the same time I know how the business goes,” Lewis said. “So that’s why I just continue to focus on what can I do and control day-in and day-out.

“Because at the end of the day, especially during the preseason, you’re not only playing for yourself and the organization you’re with, but you’re also playing for every other team in the league.”

If Lewis clears waivers, he could be a candidate to return on the practice squad.

Chicago has top waiver wire priority, where they’re expected to make some claims to shore up various positions on the roster.

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10 toughest cuts from Bears’ initial 53-man roster

The Bears finalized their initial 53-man roster. Some cuts were more difficult than others.

NFL rosters are set across the league, although they’re sure to undergo plenty of changes over the next 48 hours. Now, the waiting game begins as hundreds of players await their NFL future.

The Chicago Bears have set their initial 53-man roster, which included parting ways with 37 players ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.

While some cuts were expected and others came as a surprise, all of them were difficult in some sort of way — whether it was rookies who just fell short or veterans who fell short of expectations.

With that in mind, here are my toughest roster cuts following the Bears’ initial 53-man roster.

Predicting the Bears’ 2023 practice squad

The Bears can start building their practice squad later today. Here are our predictions for Chicago’s initial practice squad.

The Chicago Bears have formed their initial 53-man roster, cutting a number of players in the process. Unfortunately, that meant a lot of good players were cut.

General manager Ryan Poles will start assembling his 16-player practice squad, which can include up to six players with more than two accrued seasons, beginning Wednesday after the waiver process has concluded. The practice squad serves as an extension of the active roster, which will provide depth at certain positions.

There are a number of players that Chicago waived or released during roster cuts who are expected back on the practice squad.

Before the Bears start building their practice squad, here are my predictions:

Bear Necessities: Chicago sets initial 53-man roster

The Bears announced their initial 53-man roster. We recap Tuesday’s headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

The Bears announced their initial 53-man roster, which featured some notable cuts. But with Chicago having top waiver wire priority, the roster is far from finalized ahead of their Week 1 opener against the Green Bay Packers.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the morning of Aug. 30.

7 takeaways from the Bears’ initial 53-man roster

Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ initial 53-man roster.

The Chicago Bears made 31 cuts to finalize their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, which included plenty of notable moves.

There was plenty to digest from this first 53-man roster, including how things break down by position, notable roster cuts and some surprise bubble players who made the cut.

Keep in mind, this initial 53-man roster is subject to change as waiver wire claims are made on Wednesday and other players are moved around.

Here’s what we learned from the Bears’ initial 53-man roster:

Bears attempted to trade Trevis Gipson before roster cut deadline

Trevis Gipson said he never requested a trade from the Bears.

The Chicago Bears unveiled their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, which featured some notable cuts, including defensive end Trevis Gipson.

Gipson, a fifth-round pick by Chicago in 2020, had a career-best seven sacks filling in for an injured Khalil Mack during the 2021 season. Following that breakout year, the Bears expected big things from Gipson in 2022.

Unfortunately, he fell short of those expectations as part of the NFL’s worst pass rush, which totaled just 20 sacks. Gipson had 31 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and three pass breakups.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Bears were working on trading Gipson — and there were a few teams interested — but they weren’t able to get a deal done.

Last week, it was reported the Bears granted Gipson permission to seek a trade, an indication he’d requested to be traded after he’d fallen down the depth chart.

After Gipson bid Bears fans farewell on Twitter, he shot down the report that he’d requested a trade.

Gipson will no doubt land with another team, especially given there was some interest in the trade market.

With Gipson gone, the Bears’ defensive end group includes Yannick Ngakoue, DeMarcus Walker, Rasheem Green, Dominique Robinson and Terrell Lewis.

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