Tag: Josh Blackwell

Former Duke Blue Devil snags his first career NFL interception

Joshua Blackwell, who played for the Blue Devils from 2017-21, grabbed the first interception of his NFL career on Sunday.

Josh Blackwell and the Chicago Bears played in London on Sunday morning, and the former Duke Blue Devil will leave the United Kingdom with an incredible souvenir.

Blackwell, now in his third NFL season, intercepted Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence early in the fourth quarter.

He baited the former No. 1 overall pick perfectly, reading his eyes before lunging in front of a pass intended for wideout Christian Kirk.

The turnover set up a Chicago touchdown, helping the Bears improve to 4-2 with a 35-16 victory over the Jaguars, but it also marked a career milestone for Blackwell. While the former Duke football star finished his first 31 career games with 35 total tackles and two forced fumbles, he’d never intercepted a pass before Sunday’s game.

Blackwell played for the Blue Devils from 2017-21, finishing his collegiate career with 96 total tackles and 20 pass deflections. Strangely enough, however, Blackwell didn’t intercept a pass in a Duke uniform anymore either, so the Sunday pick is his first during game action since high school.

Blackwell did not get drafted in 2022, but the Bears signed him that August to begin his NFL career.

Bears RG Nate Davis doubtful vs. Bucs for personal reasons

The Bears will be without another starting offensive lineman as Nate Davis (personal) won’t travel with the team as they face the Bucs.

The Chicago Bears will be without a starting offensive lineman when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.

Bears right guard Nate Davis won’t travel with the team to Tampa Bay for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. He’s been listed as doubtful.

According to Brad Biggs and Courtney Cronin, Davis is dealing with a death in the family that happened Saturday morning. It was also the reason why Davis missed time this offseason.

As a result, Chicago has flexed offensive lineman Aviante Collins to the active roster from the practice squad. Cornerback Josh Blackwell (hamstring), previously listed as doubtful, has been downgraded to out.

With Davis not expected to suit up, the Bears will most likely turn to Ja’Tyre Carter at right guard. When Davis was sidelined for most of the summer, it was Carter who saw reps with the first-team offense. Plus, Carter is listed as the primary backup at both guard positions.

Davis appeared in three games as a rookie last season, all in a reserve role.

Dan Feeney, who the Bears acquired in a trade with the Dolphins this summer, could also factor into things. Feeney has versatility along the interior, having played all three positions.

Chicago is now without both starting guards — Davis and left guard Teven Jenkins, who landed on injured reserve with an unspecified leg injury.

Meanwhile, the Bears will be without defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who also won’t travel with the team to Tampa due to persona reasons.

Bears confident Josh Blackwell can step up for injured Kyler Gordon

Kyler Gordon is expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a hand injury, which means it’s next-man-up with Josh Blackwell at nickel.

The Chicago Bears were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. To make matters worse, it sounds like Chicago will be without a key defensive starter for awhile.

Cornerback Kyler Gordon suffered a hand injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, and he was immediately ruled out.

While head coach Matt Eberflus didn’t have an update on Gordon’s status on Monday, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune said Gordon is believed to have a broken hand that could sideline him 6-8 weeks.

If that’s the case, it’s a brutal blow for the Bears’ secondary. But it’s next-man-up mentality, which means we’ll be seeing a lot more of Josh Blackwell, who replaced Gordon at nickel cornerback.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson explained why he’s confident that Blackwell could step in and fill the void of Gordon’s absence.

ā€œWhat gives me confidence is Iā€™ve seen him do it,ā€ Johnson said, via the Chicago Tribune. ā€œI mean, shoot, he played against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last year and he did a really good job. Heā€™s definitely been out there in the fire. ā€¦ He knows how it feels to be out there in a real game playing against some real competition. So Iā€™m looking forward to him going out there, learning that chemistry with the ones and then playing ball.ā€

Last season, Blackwell played in 15 games, including one start, as an undrafted rookie, where he totaled 12 tackles on defense. He was also a key special teams contributor, recording 11 tackles on special teams and forcing and recovering a fumble in Week 4 against the New York Giants.

Gordon’s injury is the latest blow for Chicago’s roster, as starting left guard Teven Jenkins is currently on injured reserve with an undisclosed leg injury.

Revisiting the Bears’ 2022 roster cutdown waiver claims

The Bears will be all over the waiver wire this week when cuts are made, but how did last year’s moves fare?

In just a matter of hours, the Chicago Bears and the rest of the NFL teams will whittle their rosters down to 53 players as they prepare for the regular season. That will leave hundreds of NFL athletes without a team, and they’ll hit the waiver wire with an opportunity to be picked up by a new one. When they do, the Bears will be waiting as they have first dibs at the top of the waiver order.

Just like they had the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft thanks to having the worst record in the league, the Bears also have the first waiver spot and will keep it until Week 3 of the regular season concludes. Then, waivers will be determined by the current league records, with the worst team getting the first spot.

Last year, the Bears had the seventh spot, but that didn’t stop general manager Ryan Poles from putting in quite a few claims for players. In 2022, the Bears led the league with six waiver claims on the first day (seven in total). Will Poles top that number this year as he looks to strengthen the roster?

Before we dive into possible waiver claims for this year, let’s look back to see how the 2022 waiver claims fared throughout the season.

5 Bears players who impressed at Family Fest

The Bears held their annual Family Fest at Soldier Field, and here are the players who impressed during Sunday’s practice.

The Chicago Bears are playing their first game at Soldier Field! Against themselves. During training camp. For Family Fest.

Okay, it’s not exactly as exciting as the Bears’ first game of the regular season against the rival Green Bay Packers, but hosting a live-action practice in front of a boisterous Chicago crowd definitely has a resemblance to an actual game day.

The players rose to the occasion as well, with the offense in particular igniting a light show for their first action at home base this season.

Here’s a look at the five Bears players who stood out during Sunday’s Family Fest.

Chicago Bears 2023 training camp preview: Cornerback

Next up in our Bears training camp preview is cornerback, a position group they added more depth to this offseason.

Chicago Bears training camp is just around the corner, so itā€™s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

Weā€™re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, breaking down every player by position and examining the groupā€™s biggest question.

Up next are the cornerbacks. Chicago’s passing defense ranked last in the NFL in net yards per attempt which explains why the team has drafted three cornerbacks in the last two drafts.

After suffering injuries to cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor last year, the Bears have added more depth and could possibly be getting ready for a future without Johnson.

Hereā€™s a closer look at the Bearsā€™ cornerbacks heading into training camp:

Eagles salary cap: Breaking down Philadelphia’s $54 million in dead money

With the 2023 NFL offseason almost complete and training camps looming we’re breaking down the Philadelphia Eagles’ $54 million in dead cap space

The NFL’s June 1 date is just 24 hours away, and with that you can expect some trades, shocking releases and team salary caps impacted by dead money going on or off the books.

So what is dead cap?

Any future, unpaid, guaranteed salary or bonus or any already paid signing bonus that hasn’t yet been allocated to the salary cap becomes the responsibility of the team in the event of a release.

The salary cap will increase to $224.8 million for the 2023 season.

For some teams, the slight increase in cap space provides a little breathing room to retain players on expiring deals or acquire talent that could help them succeed in the upcoming season.

With OTAs underway, we’re breaking down the Eagles $54 million in dead cap space, fourth among all NFL teams.

Eagles led all 32 teams in guarantees handed out to 2022 undrafted free agents

NFL clubs handed out over $19 million in guarantees after the 2022 draft, and the Eagles led all 32 teams around the league with $1.882 million

The Eagles were left with five picks in the 2022 NFL draft after two night one trades that netted A.J. Brown and the selection of Jordan Davis.

The Philadelphia Eagles officially welcomed five new members to their roster with their 2022 NFL draft class, and the wealth of young talent that was signed to the training camp roster wasn’t reduced to just that group of players.

One week after the draft, the team announced the signings of 12 undrafted rookies free agents ahead of the rookie minicamp.

The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero just revealed a memo from the NFLPA that breaks down all the guarantees paid out to undrafted free agents last spring.

Philadelphia led all teams with $1.8 million and has a year of being the biggest spenders after the draft.

Here’s a list of the biggest undrafted free agent bonus and guarantees paid out by Howie Roseman last spring.

Bears 2023 NFL draft preview: Where does Chicago stand at CB?

Up next in our Bears draft preview is cornerback, which features a pair of solid young players but could still be improved.

The Chicago Bears have had a busy offseason, working to improve the team following their historic 3-14 run during the 2022 season during general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus’ first year with the team. Now going into Year 2, Poles and Eberflus are working to get the Bears back to relevancy and build a foundation that will eventually lead to postseason success.

Following their free agency frenzy, the Bears are setting their sights towards the 2023 NFL draft, which is quickly approaching. After initially winding up with the No. 1 overall pick, the Bears moved down to No. 9 following a lucrative trade with the Carolina Panthers. They will look to shore up certain positions such as offensive tackle and defensive line that still have glaring holes.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the NFL draft. Up next is cornerback, which appears set at two spots but could still use an upgrade in the draft.

Bears tender ERFAs DB Josh Blackwell and DL Andrew Brown

Josh Blackwell and Andrew Brown are back in the fold for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are hanging on to a couple of key reserves on defense. According to Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald, the Bears placed exclusive rights tenders on defensive back Josh Blackwell and defensive lineman Andrew Brown. Both players played meaningful snaps down the stretch of the 2022 season and are set to return in 2023.

Blackwell originally signed with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason but was claimed off waivers by the Bears during final roster cutdowns. An undrafted free agent out of Duke, Blackwell had blazing speed and the Bears saw a fit for his skillset. He played in 16 games, primarily as a key special teams contributor but began making his mark on defense late in the season. With multiple cornerbacks dealing with injuries, Blackwell was thrust into the lineup and held his own against teams like the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills. He finished the year with 23 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Brown, meanwhile, has bounced around the league since he was drafted in 2018, spending time with seven different teams. The veteran began the season on the Arizona Cardinals practice squad, but was signed by the Bears in late November. He played in five games, totaling one tackle with the Bears.

With the Bears tendering both Blackwell and Brown as exclusive rights free agents, they’re now unable to negotiate with other teams and remain on the roster for the time being.

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