Tag: Sterling Weatherford

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.

Rams waive LB Sterling Weatherford following failed physical

One day after claiming Sterling Weatherford off waivers, the Rams waived him with a failed physical designation

The Los Angeles Rams added some linebacker and special teams depth this week when they claimed Sterling Weatherford off waivers from the Chicago Bears, but he didn’t last long on the team. According to Aaron Wilson, the Rams waived Weatherford the day after claiming him after he failed his physical.

Weatherford was most likely only going to play special teams for the Rams anyway after he failed to get on the field on defense last season, but the team obviously liked him enough to claim him off waivers.

Behind Ernest Jones and Christian Rozeboom, the Rams have Jake Hummel and four other undrafted rookies: DeAndre Square, Ryan Smenda Jr., Jaiden Woodbey and Kelechi Anyalebechi.

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Rams claimed LB Sterling Weatherford off waivers from Bears

The Rams added some help at linebacker by claiming Sterling Weatherford off waivers

The Los Angeles Rams aren’t very deep at linebacker after parting ways with Bobby Wagner and letting Travin Howard walk in free agency, but they’ve added some depth at that spot with a waiver claim.

According to Tom Pelissero, the Rams claimed linebacker Sterling Weatherford off waivers from the Bears.

Weatherford played 14 games last season and had four tackles but those all came on special teams. He didn’t play a single snap on defense as a rookie last year.

In college, Weatherford played defensive back at Miami (Ohio), which is Sean McVay’s alma mater. In the NFL, the 6-foot-4 defender since transitioned to linebacker, a switch the Rams have a lot of experience with; Howard and Mark Barron did the same.

Report: Bears to sign former Steelers LB Buddy Johnson

According to Aaron Wilson, the Bears are signing former Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson.

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The Chicago Bears are bringing in defensive help ahead of training camp, but it’s not at the edge rusher position as many expected.

According to KPRC reporter and NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Bears are signing former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson to a deal.

Johnson was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. He played in just four games his rookie season, primarily on special teams. He totaled just two tackles.

Johnson couldn’t climb the depth chart entering his second season in Steelers camp and was waived during roster cutdowns. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers practice squad prior to the 2022 season and now comes to the Bears in an attempt to restart his career.

For weeks, a defensive signing was expected by the Bears, but many assumed it would be to address edge rusher, not inside linebacker. Johnson will compete with reserve players such as Sterling Weatherford, DeMarquis Gates, and Kuony Deng for a roster spot when training camp practices get underway this Wednesday.

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8 Bears players on the roster bubble heading into training camp

These Bears players will need a strong camp to secure a spot on the initial 53-man roster.

Chicago Bears training camp is drawing closer each day and it’s only a matter of time before players report to Halas Hall and begin practicing. While fans are eager to see players such as Justin Fields, D.J. Moore, Tremaine Edmunds, and Jaquan Brisker, training camp will be vital for those near the bottom of the depth chart looking to make the initial 53-man roster.

From former first-round picks to undrafted free agents, everyone will need to do their part to earn a roster spot when practices get underway. Here are eight players on the roster bubble heading into camp that will be worth watching.

Updated look at Bears’ linebacker depth after Roquan Smith trade

Following the Roquan Smith trade, here’s a look at where the Bears’ linebacker depth stands.

The Chicago Bears are trading star linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens for 2023 second- and fifth-round picks, along with linebacker A.J. Klein.

The linebacker group was already a big question mark this season — and that was before Smith was dealt to the Ravens. There are a number of unproven commodities at linebacker, but there should be options for some younger players, like Jack Sanborn, to get additional reps.

Following Smith’s departure, here’s a look at the Bears’ linebacker depth, which now features four linebackers on the active roster:

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.

Bears DC Alan Williams likes what he’s seen from newcomers Josh Blackwell, Sterling Weatherford

Bears DC Alan Williams praised a couple of Chicago’s new additions in UDFAs CB Josh Blackwell and Sterling Weatherford.

The Chicago Bears added some new faces to the roster claiming seven players off waivers last week.

Among them were four defensive players, including defensive tackle Armon Watts, defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, cornerback Josh Blackwell and linebacker Sterling Weatherford.

Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams praised Blackwell, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, for his football IQ and his versatility on defense and special teams.

“He has some familiarity with the defense coming from where he came from,” Williams said. “Special-teams wise, we think he can help us, which it’s, you talked about complementary football, that’s one of three phases that’s important for us to win football games. So we’ll see how he fits in to the mix. We’re not going to pin him into any one position. Today was the first day and we’ll see how that goes down the line.”

Weatherford signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of Miami (OH) had an impressive training camp, where he made plays all over the field. He was one of eight players who multiple claims put on him during the waiver process, which also included Wesco and Jonathan.

“We looked at the tape. He hits and he took the ball away in the preseason also,” Williams said of Weatherford. “So if you go, ‘Hey, what profile of guys do you bring in?’ He fits that profile. And so, we talked to his teammates—Dom was happy that he’s here and he said, ‘Coach, he’s one of our guys’, meaning that his DNA is HITS principle DNA. So we’re glad we have him.”

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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.

Bears leaped Saints for waiver claim on LB Sterling Weatherford

The Bears leaped the Saints for a waiver claim on former Colts linebacker Sterling Weatherford:

It isn’t too surprising to see the New Orleans Saints’ interest in adding another linebacker. They only rostered five of them while signing three others to the practice squad, but lost veteran backup Jon Bostic to a reunion with his old Washington Commanders team. So it’s disappointing to see the Saints were unable to snag a player they coveted from Wednesday’s update to the waiver wire. ESPN’s Field Yates reports that they were one of two teams to file a waiver claim for former Indianapolis Colts linebacker Sterling Weatherford

Weatherford, 23, signed with Indianapolis as an undrafted rookie out of Miami-Ohio. The Colts had designs for him to return to their practice squad had he cleared waivers, but the Saints and Chicago Bears kept that from materializing. And because Chicago had the higher waiver claim priority (7th overall; New Orleans was stuck at 18th), Weatherford is now a Bear. The only other player that the Saints claimed off of waivers, rookie offensive lineman Tanner Owen, is in New Orleans.

So look for the Saints to continue the search for linebacker help. There aren’t many proven quantities on the active roster behind Demario Davis (who is joined by Kaden Elliss, Andrew Dowell, and Zack Baun while Pete Werner continues to recover from a groin injury) with three backups on the practice squad in Nephi Sewell (an undrafted rookie out of Utah), Eric Wilson, and Chase Hansen. They’ll keep an eye on the waiver wire in the days ahead and maybe fly in some free agents for tryouts.

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