Bears Notes: Fuller, Tryouts
The Bears announced last week that defensive back Kyle Fuller would be their IR/return player, and Fuller is practicing today for the first time since he was placed on injured reserve in late September. This opens the 21-day window for the team to evaluate the former first-round pick. Chicago head coach John Fox said last week he would be “surprised” if Fuller wasn’t participating in workouts soon, and that level of optimism could be an indication that Fuller could return to game action quickly.
- The Bears tried out tight ends Kivon Cartwright and J.P. Holtz, defensive back Justin Currie, and linebacker John Lotulelei this week, according to Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Chicago also auditioned linebacker Wynton McManis, who has since joined San Francisco’s practice squad. The Bears have been hit with injuries at nearly every level of their offense and defense, and could be aiming for additional depth as the year comes to a close.
- Earlier this week, the Bears placed veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan on injured reserve after he ruptured his patella tendon, and used the open roster spot to promote rookie wide receiver Daniel Braverman from the practice squad.
- The Packers and Bears are among the NFL clubs that are expressing interest in a pair of Australian Rugby League players.
NFL Teams Showing Interest In Rugby Stars
Last year, rugby star Jarryd Hayne signed with the 49ers and tried his hand at the NFL. His stay in the league was short, but there are now a pair of rugby standouts that are hoping to follow his footsteps. Australian Rugby League players Valentine Holmes and Jason Taumalolo tried out for teams on Saturday, as Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com tweets.
The Bills, Bears, Browns, Packers, Colts, Jaguars, Chiefs, Rams, Jets, Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks, Cardinals, and the 49ers were all in attendance for the workout (Twitter link). Taumalolo, 23, and Holmes, 21, ran passing routes, underwent speed and agility tests, and ran the 40-yard dash, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Taumalolo hears that he could project to fullback, tight end, or linebacker while Holmes was pegged as a wide receiver or safety.
At least four NFL teams expressed interest in taking a second look at the duo, the Australian Associated Press reports. Scouts from the Packers, Eagles, Jets, Chiefs and Cardinals appeared to be the most interested. The AAP writes that both players intend on fulfilling their NRL contracts for 2017, but one has to imagine that they could change their minds if presented with an NFL offer.
Bears Promote WR Daniel Braverman
The Bears are promoting wide receiver Daniel Braverman to the active roster, as Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. The slot receiver will take the roster spot of linebacker Danny Trevathan, who has been put on IR. 
Braverman, a slot receiver, was taken in the sixth round of this year’s draft. The No. 230 overall pick out of Western Michigan missed the final cut in September but signed on with the Bears’ practice squad that same weekend. As a junior, Braverman had career highs across the board with 108 catches for 1,367 yards and 13 touchdowns. He opted to go pro after that breakout campaign, perhaps not realizing that he would be taken in the final round.
At 5′ 10″ and 177 pounds, Braverman is smaller than your average NFL wide receiver. He’s also unique in that he is one of the few Jewish players in the league. He currently stands as the sixth wide receiver on the Bears’ 53-man roster behind Cameron Meredith, Eddie Royal, Marquess Wilson, Joshua Bellamy, and Deonte Thompson. Star receiver Alshon Jeffery is currently serving a four-game suspension for PEDs.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/28/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Justin Perillo (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Houston Texans
- Signed: DL Brandon Dunn
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Dreamius Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Raheem Mostert
- Cut: RB Kelvin Taylor
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bears LB Danny Trevathan Done For Season
The Bears worst fears have been confirmed. Coach John Fox tells reporters that linebacker Danny Trevathan is done for the year with a knee injury. Specifically, it’s a ruptured patella tendon that will end Trevathan’s season early, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Bears will place Trevathan on IR, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster. 
This has been a trying season for the Bears, to say the least. After a rocky start to the year, quarterback Jay Cutler found himself on the sidelines for several weeks with a sprained thumb. Then, running back Jeremy Langford was put out of commission for multiple games thanks to an ankle injury. Then, as the losses continued to pile up, the Bears found out that wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and linebacker Jerrell Freeman were both slapped with four-game bans for PEDs. Now, Trevathan becomes the 15th member of the team to go on IR as the 2-9 Bears continue to struggle.
Trevathan, 26, was productive during his first season in Chicago. As of this writing, he is second on the team in tackles (61) and he also has a sack and four passes defended. Even more impressive, he did this while missing two of eleven possible games thanks to his September thumb surgery. The Bears still have the former Bronco under contract for another three years beyond 2016.
Bears Fear Danny Trevathan Tore ACL
It’s starting to get bad in Chicago. The Bears lost linebacker Danny Trevathan to injury during today’s loss to the Titans, as the defender was carted off the field during the fourth quarter. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Bears coach John Fox fears the defender suffered “a serious knee injury.” Rapoport adds that the team believes Trevathan tore his ACL, and he notes that the linebacker will soon have an MRI.
The 26-year-old has been productive during his first season in Chicago. Trevathan ranks second on the team in tackles (61), and he’s also added a sack and four passes defended. The Bears signed the veteran to a four-year, $24.5MM contract this offseason. Trevathan had spent the previous four years in Denver.
Injuries are certainly nothing new to the Bears. The team has already lost quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Connor Shaw for the season, although there’s some optimism that starter Jay Cutler could return. The Bears will also be without wideout Kevin White, tight end Zach Miller, offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu and Kyle Long, and defenders Lamarr Houston, Will Sutton, and Brandon Boykin. Wideout Alshon Jeffery and linebacker Jerrell Freeman are currently serving suspensions.
If Trevathan does miss time, the Bears will likely turn to linebackers Christian Jones or John Timu.
Could Jay Cutler Remain In Chicago In 2017?
It has long been speculated that the Bears would jettison quarterback Jay Cutler after the 2016 season as they search for a younger option with more upside. Cutler’s contract has largely driven that speculation, as the seven-year, $126MM deal that he signed with the Bears in January 2014 provides for no more guaranteed money once the 2016 campaign is over. As such, Chicago could save $14MM against the cap by releasing Cutler, thereby allowing the club to start afresh at the quarterback position.
But while Cutler’s release is still a strong possibility, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Vanderbilt product could remain in the Windy City next year. After all, he is owed a $12.5MM base salary in 2017 to go along with $2.5MM in roster bonuses, which is hardly unpalatable for a starting signal-caller in today’s NFL. Plus, this year’s quarterback draft class is considered very weak, and Brian Hoyer, who performed well in limited action for the Bears this season before he was placed on IR with a broken forearm, will be a free agent at season’s end. And even though head coach John Fox is far from Cutler’s biggest fan, Fox is no lock to keep his job.
From my vantage point, it would still be something of a surprise to see Cutler back with Chicago in 2017. For the last several seasons, a quarterback has not been the best player on the board when the Bears have been on the clock, and it would not have made sense for the team to reach for a signal-caller when they had a solid quarterback on the roster with guaranteed money still to be paid. But now that the guaranteed money is gone, it would be especially difficult to continue with a 33-year-old quarterback who has a 51-51 record and only one playoff victory in seven-plus seasons in Chicago.
Cutler, of course, is also dealing with significant injury concerns. He has a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, which has already been beset by significant wear-and-tear from years of bumps, bruises, and countless throws. The result is painful tendonitis that threatens to end his season, although he has not been officially ruled out for the remainder of 2016.
At this point, the Bears may need to make a change just for change’s sake. Though Cutler enjoyed a strong season under former offensive coordinator Adam Gase in 2015, he is clearly not the long-term solution in Chicago, and the Bears should probably divert their resources elsewhere in 2017.
Bears’ Kyle Fuller To Return From IR
Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller is primed to come back from injured reserve, perhaps early next week, head coach John Fox said Friday.
“I’d be pretty surprised depending on how it goes after [Friday] because he had a pretty brisk workout [Friday], if he’s not practicing Monday,” Fox told Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Fuller underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August and has been on IR since Sept. 27. Once the Bears designate him to return, they’ll have a three-week window to activate the 24-year-old. At 2-8, Chicago’s hopes for 2016 are dashed, but it would be beneficial for the team to continue evaluating Fuller in advance of the offseason. The Bears have to decide on Fuller’s fifth-year option for 2018 by the spring, though they’re unlikely to exercise it, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote in September. A 2014 first-round pick, Fuller has started in 30 of 32 games – including all 16 last year – and intercepted six passes.
When Fuller comes back, the season will officially end for another of the Bears’ recent first-rounders, receiver Kevin White. The second-year man landed on IR on Oct. 5 with a fractured fibula. Injuries have limited White to just four games since the Bears chose him seventh overall in 2015.
Bears Tried To Sign Jake Rudock
Bears Make Two Moves
- The Bears announced that they have promoted linebacker Jonathan Anderson to the active roster. Chicago also signed Lawrence Okoye and listed him as an offensive lineman. Okoye has tried his hand as a defensive lineman in the past.