This Date In Transactions History: Bears Sign Victor Cruz
On this date in 2017, Victor Cruz joined the Bears on a one-year deal. With that, the longtime Giants wide receiver was set to start his next chapter. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out as expected. 
Cruz was a logical fit for the Bears after they lost Alshon Jeffery in free agency. With their WR1 gone, they were left with Cameron Meredith, the injury-prone Kevin White, veteran Kendall Wright, Daniel Braverman, and Markus Wheaton as their top targets. Cruz was not a one-for-one replacement for Jeffery at this stage of his career, but there was a clear path to the 53-man roster. Then, in the preseason, he suffered a knee injury that took him out of the equation.
From 2011 through 2013, Cruz averaged 80 receptions, 1,209 yards, and eight end zone salsas per season for the Giants. Cruz, a former undrafted free agent out of UMass, came out of nowhere and captivated the NFL . Later, the Giants locked Cruz down with a five-year extension worth up to $43MM. Cruz could have gambled by staying on track for free agency after the 2013 season. With hindsight, Cruz was pretty happy about his decision, which yielded nearly $16MM in guaranteed cash.
Things started to come apart in 2014, thanks to a torn patellar tendon, followed by a calf injury. By ’18, Cruz was still just 31, but also years removed from live action. So, after unsuccessfully lobbying the Giants to bring him back, Cruz called it a career. His final NFL contract came from the Bears, but he left the game having only played for the G-Men.
Bears Interested In Bashaud Breeland
After two seasons with the Chiefs, Bashaud Breeland has resided on the free agent market for more than two months. A landing spot appears to have emerged for the longtime starter, however.
The Bears are interested in the seven-year veteran, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago cut both Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine this offseason and could potentially use another experienced cover man, having not addressed the position in the draft until Round 6.
Varying messages have come out of Bears headquarters about their cornerback position. They have been linked to interest in fellow ex-Chief Steven Nelson, who played with Kansas City during Matt Nagy‘s time there, while new DC Sean Desai said the team would not necessarily need to add any additional help at the position. With multiple corners on the radar, however, it does appear the Bears are looking for more coverage aid.
A former Washington second-round pick, Breeland started for both the Chiefs’ AFC champion teams. He played 16 games in 2019 and returned from a September suspension to reclaim his starting role last season. The 29-year-old corner has intercepted two passes in each of the past three seasons; he spent 2018 in Green Bay.
Despite being first eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2018, Breeland has yet to land a long-term deal. He agreed to terms with the Panthers on a three-year deal in 2018, but a failed physical led Carolina to nix the pact. But Breeland has remained a first-stringer on this year-to-year career track, having started 88 career games. Pro Football Focus graded the veteran as a midlevel corner in 2020, slotting him 57th at the position.
Chicago did add Desmond Trufant this offseason, but the former Atlanta No. 1 corner has missed 17 games over the past two seasons. Breeland would profile as competition and a potential upgrade opposite Jaylon Johnson. The Bears would need to free up some cap room, perhaps via the restructure route, to sign Breeland. The team has barely $200K in cap space and has not completed its draft class signings.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/19/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): OT William Sweet
Chicago Bears
- Signed: G/C Adam Redmond
- Waived: G Gage Cervenka
New England Patriots
- Signed: LS Wes Farnsworth
Bears Sign LB Austin Calitro
Austin Calitro is heading to Chicago. The free agent linebacker is signing with the Bears, the organization announced this evening (via the team’s Twitter).
Calitro bounced around the NFL a bit to begin his career; the 2017 undrafted free agent out of Villanova spent his rookie campaign with four different teams (Jets, 49ers, Seahawks, and Browns). Seattle gave the linebacker another chance in 2018, and Calitro established himself as a legitimate NFL linebacker. He appeared in all 16 games during that 2018 season (with five starts), compiling 45 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss.
He got into 13 games with the Jaguars in 2019, finishing with 40 tackles and one sack. He caught on with Denver for the 2020 season, and while he appeared in 13 total games, he finished with only three tackles while playing exclusively on special teams.
The Bears will likely turn to Calitro on special teams, but the 27-year-old also has an opportunity to play on defense. Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, and backup Christian Jones seem set atop the depth chart, but Calitro will compete with the likes of Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Josh Woods, and Caleb Johnson for backup reps.
To make room on the roster, the Bears waived wideout Reggie Davis (via the team’s website). The Georgia product spent most of the 2020 campaign on Chicago’s practice squad.
Bears Scrap Some OTAs
- The Bears announced a significant change to their offseason program on Sunday night. Chicago revealed they will “no longer hold” previously scheduled OTAs from May 25th-27th. They’ll now begin OTAs on June 1st. Since only two sets had been planned, this means the OTAs are getting cut in half. This could be a sort of compromise between the players and the team to ensure that the second set has “strong participation,” Brad Briggs of the Chicago Tribune suggests in a tweet. As you’re surely aware by now, there’s been widespread opposition among players to many of these voluntary workouts, so it’s not surprising to see teams adapting and making gestures like this.
Bears Unlikely To Add Cornerback?
- Formerly possessing a high-end cornerback contingent, the Bears have seen two of those cogs — Callahan and Fuller — rejoin Fangio in Colorado. The Bears cut Fuller this year after releasing slot man Buster Skrine. They signed Desmond Trufant, but the former Falcons Pro Bowler has missed 17 games over the past two years. Chicago has Jaylon Johnson locked in as a starter but did not draft a corner until Round 6 this year (Thomas Graham Jr.). Nevertheless, new Bears DC Sean Desai does not believe the team needs outside help here. “We’ve got enough depth where we’ll be able to solve that problem,” Desai said, via Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune. Desai mentioned 2020 fifth-rounder Kindle Vildor, who played 135 defensive snaps last season, as a player who could be elevated into regular duty — either outside or in the slot. The Bears have, however, checked in on Steven Nelson, joining several other teams in doing so.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/21
Here are Sunday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DT Olive Sagapolu
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Joe Giles-Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DB Matt Amendola, LB Daniel Bituli, DE P.J. Johnson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Waived: LB Michael Pinckney
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Case Cookus
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Charlie Taumoepeau
- Signed: DB Alijah Holder
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Shyheim Carter
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: T Kyle Murphy, DT Lorenzo Neal, LB Quentin Poling
NFC North Notes: Bears, Sewell, Bateman
In a comprehensive piece, Adam Jahns of The Athletic details how Bears GM Ryan Pace, head coach Matt Nagy, and the rest of Chicago’s brain trust approached their quarterback situation this offseason. These types of behind-the-scenes stories are always worth a read, especially for fans of the team in question, and particularly notable here is that the club identified the No. 8 through No. 12 overall selections as the “sweet spot” to target a collegiate QB. Pace’s predraft research indicated that trying to acquire the Falcons’ No. 4 overall pick would require too much draft capital, but he didn’t want to start calling teams holding picks eight through 12 too early for fear of tipping his hand.
So he waited until the day of the draft to start making those calls, and while the early run on QBs pushed down quality players at other positions, Pace identified Ohio State QB Justin Fields as his top target. 11 Bears staffers filed reports on Fields, and all of them had very similar grades on him. Pace and Giants GM Dave Gettleman had worked out the parameters of a trade earlier in the day, and when Fields was still on the board after the Eagles leapfrogged the Giants — Pace feared Philadelphia might have been targeting Fields — Chicago and New York were able to swing a trade that brought the former Buckeye to the Windy City. Now, Pace and Nagy will hope that the bold maneuver will help them keep their jobs.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- Even though the Bears just signed Andy Dalton this offseason, they extended him a courtesy that the Packers did not extend to Aaron Rodgers when they drafted Jordan Love last year: they told Dalton that they might pick a QB. “I talked to [Dalton] earlier in the day on [the day of the draft], and we were just catching up,” Nagy said (via Albert Breer of SI.com). “And at the same time I said, ‘Hey, listen man, I have no idea which way this thing may go, you never know, but all positions are open and we can do a lot of different things, including at quarterback. So I just want you to understand that and be aware for that.'” Of course, the news couldn’t have come as a surprise to Dalton, who was signed to a one-year contract and who presumably has no delusions that the Bears acquired him as their quarterback of the future, but it’s the type of gesture that might have helped ease the strain on the Packers’ relationship with Rodgers.
- The Lions‘ first-round pick, No. 7 overall selection Penei Sewell, has tested positive for COVID-19, as Sewell himself tweeted several days ago. He will therefore miss this weekend’s rookie minicamp, but at this point it sounds like he is either asymptomatic or else has mild symptoms, so there shouldn’t be any cause for concern.
- The Packers selected Georgia CB Eric Stokes with the No. 29 overall pick of the draft, but if Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman had still been around, execs around the league believe he would have been the choice, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes (subscription required). Of course, taking a first-round receiver this year after selecting Love in the first round in 2020 might not have been enough to placate Rodgers. The Ravens took Bateman off the board with the No. 27 overall selection.
- The Vikings have been busy over the past couple of days, trading cornerback Mike Hughes to the Chiefs and signing first-round pick Christian Darrisaw.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Parker Hesse
- Claimed off waivers (from Colts): C Sam Jones
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Mike Bell, OL Steven Gonzalez
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Michael Pinckney
New York Giants
- Waived: DE Breeland Speaks
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): RB Austin Walter
- Waived: RB Pete Guerriero
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Joshua Moon, DT Walter Palmore, DE Marcus Webb, S LaDarius Wiley
Steven Nelson Has Interest From Texans, Bears, Eagles, Bengals, Bills
One of the top free agents left on the market is cornerback Steven Nelson. The Steelers released Nelson back on March 23rd, and he’s remained unsigned ever since.
That being said, it sounds like he’s unsigned still by choice, not because of lack of interest. Nelson’s “market has been strong,” and he’s received interest from 14 teams including the Texans, Bears, Eagles, Bengals, and Bills, a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Fowler adds that Nelson is choosing to be “patient waiting for right fit and opportunity.” Nelson was originally drafted by the Chiefs in the third-round in 2015. After a 2018 season where he had four interceptions for Kansas City, he signed a three-year, $25.5MM pact with the Steelers. He then started 30 games for Pittsburgh over the last two seasons, and had nine passes defended and two interceptions in 2020.
Nelson has been a solid starter, and has received strong marks from Pro Football Focus. In fact over the last two years, PFF has him graded as the NFL’s 11th-best cornerback. He could be a boost to plenty of teams in need of help in the secondary, and will likely get some significant money from somebody.