Tag: Eric Kush

Bears activate C Cody Whitehair from reserve/COVID-19 list, add RB Lamar Miller to active roster

Chicago announced several moves on Monday ahead of their game vs. the Vikings, including activating Cody Whitehair and adding Lamar Miller.

Reinforcements are on their way for the Chicago Bears ahead of their primetime matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

The team announced a bevy of moves on Monday afternoon, most notably activating center Cody Whitehair from the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Bears also added running back Lamar Miller and offensive lineman Eric Kush from the practice squad, signed defensive tackle Daniel McCullers from the practice squad, and promoted quarterback Tyler Bray from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement, per Larry Mayer of Chicagobears.com.

Whitehair was sidelined for the Bears game against the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago due to a calf injury suffered on Oct. 26 against the Los Angeles Rams. He then missed last Sunday’s loss against the Tennessee Titans after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the week.

Miller, now in his ninth NFL season, will make his Bears debut and see his first action since tearing his ACL in a preseason game with the Houston Texans in 2019. The former Pro-Bowl back spent the first half of the season the team’s practice squad and will fill in for an injured David Montgomery, who was ruled out after suffering a concussion in last week’s game.

Kush makes his Bears season debut as well, returning to Chicago for the first time since 2018. He spent three seasons with the Bears from 2016-18, but missed 2017 due to a torn hamstring injury. He started all 16 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2019, but he was released earlier this year. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders but did not play a snap after going on injured reserve.

McCullers saw his first action as a Bear last week, posting four total tackles. With defensive tackle John Jenkins out of the lineup for the second time this season. Bray, meanwhile, will serve as the Bears backup quarterback with Mitchell Trubisky still out with a shoulder injury.

The Bears and Vikings kickoff tonight at 7:15 pm CT.

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Chicago Bears sign OL Eric Kush to practice squad

The Bears added some much-needed depth at offensive line with the return of a familiar face in iOL Eric Kush to the practice squad.

The Chicago Bears added some much-needed depth at offensive line with the return of a familiar face.

The Bears have signed interior offensive lineman Eric Kush to the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. Kush previously played for Chicago back in 2016-18.

Kush has experience in Matt Nagy’s offense and can play either center or guard. Chicago has released Aaron Neary from the practice squad in conjunction with Kush’s addition.

The Bears have had major issues on the offensive line over the last few weeks, particularly when it comes to injuries. They lost left guard James Daniels a few weeks ago to a torn pectoral muscle, and right tackle Bobby Massie landed on injured reserve with a knee injury expected to sideline him at least a month.

But the Bears also dealt with a COVID-19 scare as center Cody Whitehair and reserve tackle Jason Spriggs both tested positive for the virus, which sidelined them last week. Back-up center Sam Mustipher also missed last Sunday’s game with a knee injury. Although Spriggs has since been activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Bears started Alex Bars at center and seventh-round rookie Arlington Hambright against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and they were encouraging in their first starts.

Still, Chicago’s struggles on the offensive line remain one of the biggest concerns on this team. It’s been evident in their run blocking — with the Bears the worst run game in the league — and in pass protection — with a statuesque Nick Foles.

The addition of Kush provides a little stability should Chicago’s offensive line struggles continue.

Veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush visiting the Bears

To help with some of the uncertainty on the offensive line, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior lineman Eric Kush for a visit.

The Chicago Bears offensive line is a mess. And I’m not just referring to the unit’s performance on the field.

The Bears have dealt with a rash of injuries and COVID-19 struggles that has the projected offensive line in doubt heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

To help with some of the uncertainty, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior offensive lineman Eric Kush for a visit. As Bears fans know, Kush previously played for Chicago back in 2016 and 2018.

The Bears could be without four offensive starters against the Titans, where left tackle Charles Leno Jr. is the only starter that’s projected to be good to go for Sunday. Left guard James Daniels is done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle while right tackle Bobby Massie is on injured reserve at least for the next three weeks with a knee injury.

Then there’s the case of center Cody Whitehair, who at first was questionable because of a calf injury. But that’s the least of his worries now. Whitehair joins reserve swing tackle Jason Spriggs as the second member of the Bears’ active roster to test positive for COVID-19, and both of them are out for Sunday. Right guard Germain Ifedi, who was dubbed a close contact, tested negative for COVID, and coach Matt Nagy believes Ifedi could be good to go against the Titans.

Undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher got his first start last Sunday in place of the injured Whitehair, where he played solid at center. But Mustipher is dealing with a knee injury, which leaves the Bears down two centers. Which is where the addition of Kush would be beneficial. If not, expect Alex Bars to get the nod while seventh-round rookie Arlington Hambright would get the nod at guard while Rashaad Coward swings out to right tackle.

No one knows what this Bears offensive line is going to look like come Sunday. Not even Nagy and the Bears.

Veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush visiting the Bears

To help with some of the uncertainty on the offensive line, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior lineman Eric Kush for a visit.

The Chicago Bears offensive line is a mess. And I’m not just referring to the unit’s performance on the field.

The Bears have dealt with a rash of injuries and COVID-19 struggles that has the projected offensive line in doubt heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans.

To help with some of the uncertainty, the Bears are bringing in veteran interior offensive lineman Eric Kush for a visit. As Bears fans know, Kush previously played for Chicago back in 2016 and 2018.

The Bears could be without four offensive starters against the Titans, where left tackle Charles Leno Jr. is the only starter that’s projected to be good to go for Sunday. Left guard James Daniels is done for the season with a torn pectoral muscle while right tackle Bobby Massie is on injured reserve at least for the next three weeks with a knee injury.

Then there’s the case of center Cody Whitehair, who at first was questionable because of a calf injury. But that’s the least of his worries now. Whitehair joins reserve swing tackle Jason Spriggs as the second member of the Bears’ active roster to test positive for COVID-19, and both of them are out for Sunday. Right guard Germain Ifedi, who was dubbed a close contact, tested negative for COVID, and coach Matt Nagy believes Ifedi could be good to go against the Titans.

Undrafted free agent Sam Mustipher got his first start last Sunday in place of the injured Whitehair, where he played solid at center. But Mustipher is dealing with a knee injury, which leaves the Bears down two centers. Which is where the addition of Kush would be beneficial. If not, expect Alex Bars to get the nod while seventh-round rookie Arlington Hambright would get the nod at guard while Rashaad Coward swings out to right tackle.

No one knows what this Bears offensive line is going to look like come Sunday. Not even Nagy and the Bears.

Browns flashback: Storylines from 1 year ago reveal a very different team

From Greg Robinson being cut to a college football preview, so much has changed in a year

With the calendar turning to September and the Browns idle yesterday, I decided to take a look back at where we were with the team one year ago. My how the times have changed!

There were the top five most-read stories on Browns Wire one year ago today, on Sept. 1st, 2019:

Browns release starting left tackle Greg Robinson

This was one of those, “huh?” moments. Yes, the Browns did indeed cut their starting left tackle after the final roster cutdowns. It was a designed maneuver to allow rookie Drew Forbes to sneak through to I.R. rather than expose him to waivers. Robinson quickly re-signed with the team. Now Forbes is on the opt-out list and Robinson is facing up to 20 years in prison.

Taywan Taylor: What the Browns are getting in their new WR

Oh the excitement there was over acquiring Taywan Taylor! Here was a recent third-round pick set free by a numbers game in Tennessee. John Dorsey (remember him?) pounced on Taylor, picked up via trade for just a 7th-round pick. Another Dorsey masterstroke!

Welp. Taylor, who caught 37 passes in 2018 for the Titans, did not catch a single pass in his first year in Cleveland. He seems unlikely to get a second season to redeem himself.

Cleveland Browns roster cuts: Here’s who has been released

Roster cutdown day was Aug. 31st, so the first day of September was full of getting caught up on who was still in the brown and orange and who got sent packing.

In looking at this list, a few of the players here came back in one form or another: Stephen Carlson, Willie Harvey, J.T. Hassell, Robert Jackson, Donnie Lewis. All remain with the Browns today. Only punter Britton Colquitt went on to do anything notable anywhere else, and the Browns were right to take the risk and go with rookie Jamie Gillan over the reliable veteran.

Eric Kush named Browns starting RG “as we speak” by Freddie Kitchens

Insert GIF of Nancy Kerrigan screaming a tearful “why!?” here. The only upshot is the mention of newcomer Wyatt Teller getting a chance to usurp Kush, now struggling to make the Raiders as their final reserve OL. Teller is the starting right guard for 2020 — as we speak, anyway…

2020 NFL Draft Prospect preview: Oklahoma Sooners

Remember college football? Yeah, me too. Sigh. Props to Josh Keatley for trumpeting CeeDee Lamb, recently rated the best WR in Dallas Cowboys camp, as an attractive target for the Browns.

 

Browns saved over $13 million in cutting 4 players

Browns saved over $13 million in cutting 4 players, including T.J. Carrie and 3 other players signed by ex-GM John Dorsey

Monday’s moves to rid the roster of four players created some significant salary cap room for the Cleveland Browns.

In dumping T.J. Carrie, Demetrius Harris, Eric Kush and Adarius Taylor, the new Browns under GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski shed some overpriced veteran legacies from the team. Carrie, Harris and Kush all started at least seven games for the Browns in 2019, but they were John Dorsey signings that didn’t fit with the forward vision of the new team, and certainly didn’t fit for their financial obligations.

Here’s what the Browns saved in 2020 cap room with each player:

T.J. Carrie: $6.35 million

Demetrius Harris: $2.5 million

Eric Kush: $2.1 million

Adarius Taylor: $2.4 million

That adds up to over $13.3 million in cap savings that Berry and Stefanski can use to replace them. Other than Carrie, who projected as the starting slot corner, it shouldn’t be difficult to find less expensive players to fill those roles with even better results.

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