Bears Waive Roberto Aguayo
The Bears have waived kicker Roberto Aguayo, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Veteran Connor Barth will be Chicago’s kicker in 2017.
Aguayo joined the Bears last month after Chicago made the curious decision to claim the former second-round pick off waivers from the Buccaneers. While giving a young kicker an opportunity wasn’t a bad idea on its face, the Bears took on Aguayo’s $428K salary guarantee, a total they’ll now be forced to absorb as dead money.
Aguayo, of course, posted subpar numbers in 2016 after being drafted in the second round, making only 22-of-31 field goal attempts (71%) and missing two extra points. That performance, combined with his struggles in camp and the preseason, was enough for Tampa Bay to thrown in the towel, despite having traded up in the draft to select him a year ago.
Bears Shopping LBs Sam Acho, Dan Skuta
The Bears have made linebackers Sam Acho and Dan Skuta available for trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Bears Release Victor Cruz]
Chicago has a slight surplus at outside linebacker, as Leonard Floyd and Willie Young are the club’s projected starters while veteran Pernell McPhee recovers from a knee injury. Lamarr Houston is also around, and given his and McPhee’s lengthy injury history, it’s surprising the Bears don’t want to keep Acho and/or Skuta as insurance.
It’s not as if the Bears can hope to reap much in the way of draft compensation for either player — both Acho and Houston were freely available on the open market earlier this year, and both landed only minimum salary benefit contracts with Chicago. Both will be at least 29 years old by next, and neither has been a full-time starter in some time.
Given that the Bears are shopping Acho and Skuta, both figure to be in severe danger of being released by Saturday if Chicago can’t drum up a trade market.
Bears Release Victor Cruz
The Bears have released wide receiver Victor Cruz, Josina Anderson of ESPN tweets.
This is the latest setback in the career of Cruz, a former star who has dealt with significant injury issues in recent years. Cruz suffered a knee injury during the Bears’ preseason finale on Thursday and will undergo an MRI, per Anderson (on Twitter).
A longtime Giant, Cruz played just six games from 2014-15, and while he bounced back last year to appear in all but one of Big Blue’s contests, he only one caught 39 passes and one touchdown. At his best, Cruz combined for between 73 and 86 receptions in each season from 2011-13, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2012.
The 30-year-old Cruz joined the Bears in May on a deal worth up to $4MM. Chicago will save $1.97MM of Cruz’s $2.47MM cap hit, but it’s even thinner at receiver after losing Cameron Meredith to a season-ending injury last week. The Bears are now down to Kevin White, a 2015 first-rounder who has battled injuries during his short career, Markus Wheaton and Josh Bellamy, among others, at the position.
Bears To Cut LB Kelvin Sheppard
Kelvin Sheppard will be cut by the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. By shedding Sheppard, the Bears are inching closer to the 53-man max.
Sheppard made 30 appearances with Miami in 2014 and 2015, including 15 starts. Last year, the 29-year-old appeared in each of the Giants’ games and made eleven starts, but he finished with just 47 tackles, failed to force any turnovers, and earned a poor grade (39.1) from Pro Football Focus. He was thought to have a decent chance of sticking as veteran LB depth, but it was not meant to be.
The Bears and the league’s 31 other teams have until Saturday afternoon to reach the 53-man mandate.
Bears' Meredith Could Return For OTAs
- Doctors say that Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith only suffered ACL and MCL damage and did not injure any other major ligaments in his knee, Rapoport tweets. Meredith is done for the year, but he could be back in time for next year’s OTAs.
Bears Waive Two
Chicago Bears
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/17
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: LS Taybor Pepper
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Jeff Overbaugh
- Waived/injured: Patrick Scales
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: P Will Monday
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: OL Gabe Ikard
Denver Broncos
- Waived/injured: DL Jimmy Bean
Detroit Lions
- Released: WR Keshawn Martin, TE Tim Wright
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: LS Derek Hart, WR Colby Pearson, RB William Stanback
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Earl Wolff
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Akeem Dent
- Waived from IR: CB Ezra Robinson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: LB Josh Mauga
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: K Travis Coons
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Michael Bart, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Nick Usher
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Audie Cole
- Placed on IR: TE Clay Harbor
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Daniel Gray
- Placed on IR: OL Adam Gettis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Mehdi Abdesmad, DL Hendrick Ekpe
- Waived: RB Blake Sims
- Placed on IR: Justin Trattou
Cameron Meredith Suffers Torn ACL
Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith suffered a torn ACL during today’s preseason game against the Titans, according to Pam Oliver of FOX Sports (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). Although no official announcement has been made, Meredith will presumably miss the 2017 season.
Losing Meredith represents a massive blow for a Chicago pass offense that ranked a below-average 20th in DVOA a season ago. Meredith, 24, came out of nowhere to lead the Bears in receptions (66), receiving yards (888), and receiving touchdowns (four). The former undrafted free agent had been scheduled to serve as Chicago’s top wide receiver following the free agent defection of Alshon Jeffery.
Instead, the Bears will now be forced to rely on a parade of mediocre pass-catching options, several of which were signed this offseason. Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, and Victor Cruz will all be in the mix to catch passes from quarterback Mike Glennon, while former first-round selection Kevin White will also presumably take on a larger role. Chicago’s other receivers include Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson, and Daniel Braverman.
If the Bears want to look outside the organization for a wide receiver, there are options on the free agent market. Veterans such as Vincent Jackson, Steve Johnson, and former Bears Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson are still available, as is mercurial former second-rounder Dorial Green-Beckham. Alternatively, the Dolphins are reportedly open to trading slot weapon Jarvis Landry, although acquiring Landry and his expiring contract would represent a win-now transaction for the quasi-rebuilding Bears.
Meredith’s injury will also have financial effects for the wide receiver, who’d been on track to become an restricted free agent next spring. While he’ll still reach that designation, Meredith will now likely be tendered at the lowest RFA level given that no other club is likely to attempt to poach him. Had he repeated his 2017 performance, Meredith could have offered a first-round tender next offseason — the difference between the two tenders may be greater than $2MM.
Biggs: Kyle Long May Be Uncertain For Week 1
- Kyle Long not set to play in the Bears‘ third preseason game — and likely not Chicago’s fourth exhibition tilt — makes the guard’s Week 1 status uncertain, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. The Bears are being cautious with their top guard after he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in November 2016.
Roberto Aguayo's Struggles Continue
- Second-year kicker Roberto Aguayo‘s struggles have transferred from Tampa Bay to Chicago, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Aguayo, whom the Bears claimed off waivers from the Buccaneers on Aug. 13, missed a 49-yard field goal in his preseason debut with Chicago last week and, according to head coach John Fox, had a rough practice Friday. “I think our kicker had a little bit of a struggle today in some of his field goals, but it was something we knew about Roberto,” Fox said. “He’s got a very strong leg; he needs to work on his accuracy. That’s why we’re out here practicing.” Fox added that the Bears will spend the next week-plus working to help Aguayo turn around his fortunes. Otherwise, given that he’s competing with Connor Barth, Aguayo could find himself on waivers again. That would be a stunning turn of events for a kicker who was not only a second-round pick in 2016, but someone the Buccaneers also surrendered a third- and fourth-rounder for when they traded up to select the ex-Florida State standout.