Bears Sign QB Nathan Peterman
After three-plus seasons with the Raiders, Nathan Peterman has found a new team. The Bears signed the veteran quarterback to a one-year deal Wednesday.
Although the once-maligned quarterback is best known for making disastrous starts during his Bills tenure, which included a Week 1 start ahead of Josh Allen in 2018, Peterman has stabilized his career as a reserve. He caught on with the Raiders during Jon Gruden‘s first year, and after signing a 2019 reserve/futures contract, the Pitt product continued to work as one of Derek Carr‘s understudies.
Peterman primarily played behind both Carr and Marcus Mariota in Las Vegas. The 2017 fifth-round pick signed a one-year, $1MM pact to stay with the Raiders last year, and he finished the year on the Raiders’ practice squad. Since his Bills tenure wrapped midway through the 2018 season, Peterman has attempted eight regular-season passes. He still carries a career 3-12 career touchdown pass-to-interception ratio and a 34.0 passer rating.
The Bears previously carried one of the most experienced sets of second- and third-string quarterbacks in NFL history, rostering Andy Dalton and Nick Foles. Dalton has since signed with the Saints, and the Bears cut Foles shortly after the draft. The 10-year veteran remains a free agent. Trevor Siemian joins Peterman behind Justin Fields now; the team waived second-year QB Ryan Willis on Wednesday.
Bears To Meet With Keith Kirkwood
The Bears will host Keith Kirkwood on a visit today, according to a source who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If all goes well, the wide receiver could join Chicago’s 90-man offseason roster with a chance of making the final cut towards the end of the summer.
[RELATED: Bears Sign 16 UDFAs]
Kirkwood has previously spent time with the Saints and Panthers. He appeared in nine games for the Saints between 2018 and 2019 and suited up for another four contests with the Panthers in 2020 and 2021. All together, he’s got 17 catches for 239 yards and two scores to his credit.
The Bears probably aren’t looking at Kirkwood as a leading target, but they could use some improvements at wide receiver overall. Currently, their WR depth chart is led by Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Byron Pringle, Nsimba Webster, and David Moore with support from third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr.
Still, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy recently told reporters that he’s fairly comfortable with the current group.
“Of course everybody wants Davante Adams,” Getsy said (via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). “But Davante wasn’t Davante until he became Davante. I think the system will enable some of these guys to play at their potential. We’ll give them an opportunity to show what they’ve got.“
Getsy went on to explain that quarterback Justin Fields is getting “much more comfortable” with his receivers, but Bears fans would still like to see a proven veteran added to the mix. Kirkwood doesn’t quite fit the bill, but the Bears could have some new options to explore once teams begin their summer roster shuffle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/10/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Reverted to IR: LB Ledarius Mack
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Tavante Beckett, OLB Rashod Berry, CB Parnell Motley, TE Jared Pinkney (injury settlement), TE Matt Sokol
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: T Shon Coleman, LB Malik Jefferson
- Waived: TE Farrod Green, TE Eli Wolf
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: QB Anthony Gordon, RB Brenden Knox, OT Gene Pryor, DT Darius Stills
New York Giants
- Waived: LB Omari Cobb, TE Jake Hausmann, TE Rysen John, OL Wes Martin
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Waived: LB Tegray Scales, LS Rex Sunahara
- Waived-injured: CB Isaiah Johnson
Bears Sign 16 UDFAs
May 9, 9:22pm: The Bears aren’t finished adding. Following rookie minicamp this past weekend, the organization added another six UDFAs:
- LB Christian Albright
- S Jon Alexander
- LS Antonio Ortiz
- DE Carson Taylor
- S AJ Thomas (story)
- RB De’Montre Tuggle
May 6, 10:00am: The Bears announced on Friday that they have signed the following undrafted free agents:
- LB Jaylan Alexander, Purdue
- TE Chase Allen, Iowa State
- LB C. J. Avery, Louisville
- S Amari Carter, Miami
- OT Jean Delance, Florida
- DT Micah Dew-Treadway, Minnesota
- CB Allie Green IV, Missouri
- WR Cyrus Holder, Duquesne
- CB Jaylon Jones, Mississippi
- WR Landon Lenoir, Southern Illinois
- WR Henry Litwin, Slippery Rock
- LB Jack Sanborn, Wisconsin
- WR Kevin Shaa, Liberty
- WR Savon Scarver, Utah State (since been cut)
- RB Master Teague, Ohio State
- TE Jake Tonges, California
One of the intriguing additions on offense is Scarver. He was named an All-American and received the Jet Award in 2018 for his production as a returner. Over the course of his career, he averaged over 27 yards per runback on kickoffs, tying the all-time NCAA record for return touchdowns with seven. His offensive production was lacking compared to that of third-rounder Velus Jones, but he should be able to compete for a special teams role.
Teague, meanwhile, will be a familiar face for quarterback Justin Fields, as the two played together at Ohio State in 2019 and 2020. It was in the former season that Teague set a career-high in scrimmage yards, with 849. The following campaign, he led the Buckeyes in rushing touchdowns with eight. He will compete with sixth-rounder Trestan Ebner for a depth role at the position.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/9/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: LB Jaylan Alexander, S Amari Carter, WR Landon Lenoir, LB Ledarius Mack, RB Master Teague
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Kobe Jones
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LB Justin March
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Dylan Cantrell
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Derrick Kelly
- Waived: TE Brandon Dillon, WR D.J. Montgomery
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
Bears Cut Recently Signed UDFA, Sign New UDFA
Chicago recently announced their undrafted rookie free agent class and held their rookie minicamp. One of the recently signed undrafted rookies, former Utah State return specialist Savon Scarver, has been cut, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.
Scarver was a consensus All-American return man. In five years with the Aggies, Scarver had seven kickoff return touchdowns, making sure to return at least one a year, even in the team’s COVID-shortened, four-game 2020 season. He added 757 yards receiving and 5 receiving touchdowns to his stat sheet, but he was mainly seen as a special teamer at the next level.
Along with their 16 announced UDFAs, the Bears invited 36 other undrafted players for rookie tryouts at minicamp. Among those 36, was Western Michigan defensive back A.J. Thomas. Thomas played safety for most of his career with the Broncos, but switched to linebacker for his final season.
It appears that he was asked to participate in Chicago as a defensive back. Regardless, at the conclusion of rookie minicamp, the Bears agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to Wilson.
NFC Rumors: Gronkowski, Bears, Dean, Graham, Lions, Patterson
In an interview with Sports Illustrated last weekend, free agent tight end Rob Gronkowski was asked about the potential for his return. In reality, the question and answer were played off a bit as a joke.
The reporter specifically asked Gronkowski if he would return should Tampa Bay sign retired wide receiver Julian Edelman. Gronkowski didn’t hesitate to commit to returning for a full season alongside Edelman were that to occur. Realistically, if Gronkowski is to return for another season with the Buccaneers, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones expects that decision to be made after minicamps.
Here are a few more rumors from around the NFC, starting with a rumor out of the Windy City:
- In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Bears heavily addressed their offensive line, drafting four offensive linemen and signing one more undrafted free agent lineman. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune expects the team to continue trying to add to the group, saying that they should be on the lookout specifically for “an experienced option to compete for the right guard job.” Biggs also expects Chicago to target veterans at defensive line and wide receiver over the next few weeks.
- New Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean was expected to be a first round pick during last month’s Draft. Dean was the victim of one of the least predictable slides of all time, falling down to the third round of the Draft due to concerns over his health. Well, according to EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dean has been a full participant in the team’s rookie minicamp, making an effort to disprove the notion many teams held that he would potentially miss his entire rookie season with a pectoral injury.
- Two games into the 2021 NFL season, Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham suffered a season-ending tear of his Achilles tendon. Well, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com, Graham says he feels like the injury never even happened. He will return to the field with no restrictions this preseason. This wouldn’t be the first time Graham has made a full recovery from a long-term injury. He tore his ACL 13 games into his rookie season. Despite the serious injury, Graham has become the impact player he is today, the same player he is expecting to be this upcoming season.
- Two Thursdays ago, the Lions were more than happy to walk away from the 2022 Draft with the hometown defensive end from Michigan, Aidan Hutchinson. If things had not worked out so perfectly for Detroit, though, and Hutchinson had been told to pack his bags for Duval, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that the Lions would have selected the player Jacksonville actually did select, Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker.
- Falcons wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has always been a bit of a swiss army knife. He has made impressive plays in the kick and punt return games and, while performing mainly as a wide receiver for most of his career, Patterson has displayed the ability to run the ball when required, as well. After signing to join the Falcons last year, Patterson was asked to run the ball more than ever before, serving as Atlanta’s top rusher in terms of both attempts and yards. Well, Michael Fabiano of Sports Illustrated quoted ESPN’s Michael Rothstein stating his belief that Patterson will return to his primary position, expecting the 31-year old to spend more time at wide receiver than running back next year. Whether this would be a result of offseason additions like free agent signing Damien Williams or newly drafted Keaontay Ingram or if Patterson just requested a return to his natural role, Patterson is expected to take fewer snaps at running back next season.
NFL Front Office Notes: Ventrelle, Raiders, Patriots, Giants, Bears
Headlines were made yesterday when the Raiders released a statement from owner Mark Davis that team president Dan Ventrelle was “no longer with the Raiders organization.” Ventrelle had been promoted from executive vice president and interim president, after the resignation of Marc Badain, following the conclusion of the 2021 NFL season.
In an article from The Athletic, we learned that Ventrelle alleged he had been fired in retaliation for telling the NFL about concerns over a hostile workplace environment. Ventrelle’s statement was as follows:
“I have committed almost 18 years of my life to the success of the Raiders as General Counsel and President. I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why multiple written complaints from employees that (Davis) created a hostile work environment and engaged in other potential misconduct caused me grave concern.
“When Mark was confronted about these issues, he was dismissive and did not demonstrate the warranted level of concern. Given this, I informed the NFL of these issues of Mark’s unacceptable response. Soon thereafter, I was fired in retaliation for raising these concerns.”
Here are a few more notes from around the NFL, starting with another note from Sin City:
- Despite the loss of the team president, Las Vegas has been busy filling out their front office staff. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tweeted out that Las Vegas was working towards bringing in Patriots national scout Brandon Yeargan to replace Jim Abrams as the team’s new college scouting director. Also, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported the addition of Dolphins college scout Lenny McGill to serve as the new Raiders west coast national scout. Yeargan follows new Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler and new head coach Josh McDaniels from New England after making the leap to the NFL back in 2013. McGill has spent 21 years scouting in the NFL for the Packers, Broncos, and Dolphins. He’ll add the Raiders to his list.
- The Patriots are looking to restock their losses with the addition of Buccaneers area scout Tony Kinkela, according to Neil Stratton of Inside the League. Kinkela made the move to the NFL after working with Tulane and Washington State at the college level. He’s spent 13 years in Tampa Bay’s front office, earning a Super Bowl ring during his tenure. Kinkela will be headed towards a more senior role in New England.
- New Giants general manager Joe Schoen is changing things up in an effort to make the front office his own, according to tweets from Jordan Raanan of ESPN and Dan Duggan of The Athletic, with credit to Stratton from above. Following the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants have announced that four high level staff members will not be returning: director of college scouting Chris Pettit, senior personnel executive Kyle O’Brien, senior pro scouting executive Ken Sternfeld, and senior pro scout/football systems analyst Matt Schauger. Pettit, Sternfeld, and Schauger are all long-time New York employees. Pettit has been with the team since 2004, Sternfeld since 2002, and Schauger since 2005. O’Brien had joined the team for the 2021 season. One move, first reported by Stratton, that will address the departures is the addition of Bears area scout Scott Hamel, who is expected to play a role similar to what O’Brien had held, according to Art Stapleton of USA Today.
- New Bears general manager Ryan Poles is making adjustments to his staff, as well. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, director of college scouting Mark Sadowski will not return. Sadowski has been with the Bears since 2005. Not everyone from the existing staff will be headed out, though, as former-director of pro scouting Jeff King has been promoted to co-director of player personnel, a role he’ll share with Trey Koziol. King started with the Bears as a scouting intern in 2015, rising quickly through the ranks in the past seven years. He was instrumental in many of the Bears’ 13 unrestricted free agents signings from other teams this offseason. Koziol broke into the NFL as an intern with the Titans in 2008. He spent the last nine years in Kansas City, starting as an area scout before working up to assistant director of college scouting this past season. It’s a smart move from Poles to have two co-directors of player personnel: one, King, specialized in pro scouting and one, Koziol, specialized in college scouting.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/22
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Waived: OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: C Austin Reiter
New York Jets
- Waived: S Zane Lewis, RB Austin Walter, OL Isaiah Williams,
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22
Here are the latest draft pick signings:
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Tyler Badie (sixth round, Missouri)
Chicago Bears
- T Braxton Jones (fifth round, Southern Utah)
- DE Dominique Robinson (fifth round, Miami University)
- RB Trestan Ebner (sixth round, Baylor)
- C Doug Kramer (sixth round, Illinois)
- T Ja’Tyre Carter (seventh round, Southern)
- DB Elijah Hicks (seventh round, California)
- P Trenton Gill (seventh round, North Carolina State)
Green Bay Packers
- LB Quay Walker (first round, Georgia)
- DT Devonte Wyatt (first round, Georgia)
- T Sean Rhyan (third round, UCLA)
- LB Kingsley Enagbare (fifth round, South Carolina)
- DB Tariq Carpenter (seventh round, Georgia Tech)
- DT Jonathan Ford (seventh round, Miami)
- WR Samori Toure (seventh round, Nebraska)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CB Trent McDuffie (first round, Washington)
- DE George Karlaftis (first round, Purdue)
- S Bryan Cook (second round, Cincinnati)
- G Darian Kinnard (fifth round, Kentucky)
- CB Jaylen Watson (seventh round, Washington State)
- RB Isiah Pacheco (seventh round, Rutgers)
- S Nazeeh Johnson (seventh round, Marshall)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DT Jordan Davis (first round, Georgia)
- LB Kyron Johnson (sixth round, Kansas)
- TE Grant Calcaterra (sixth round, SMU)
Seattle Seahawks
- DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
- LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
- WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
- WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Washington Commanders
- QB Sam Howell (fifth round, North Carolina)
- TE Cole Turner (fifth round, Nevada)
- T Chris Paul (seventh round, Tulsa)
- DB Christian Holmes (seventh round, Oklahoma State)