Freeman: Colts Were Uninterested In Reunion
Jerrell Freeman sensed the Colts were planning to move on without him after they signed Nate Irving to a three-year, $7.25MM deal last spring. But he still tried to give them a chance to exceed the Bears’ offer a year later.
“I went into free agency and it was pretty much, ‘Good luck,’” Freeman said, via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. “Even when I did get the Bears’ offer and we tried to go back to them. They were like, ‘Yeah, this is a good deal; take it.’ I guess it [was] over.”
The Bears ended up signing the 30-year-old inside linebacker to a three-year, $12MM accord. He’d hoped to stay with the Colts after leading or being second on the team in tackles from 2012-15 but saw the team move on and go with Irving and Sio Moore. Both are no longer with Indianapolis after recent cuts.
Freeman played for the $2.35MM RFA tender last season while seeing Irving, a former third-round Broncos pick who was coming off a season-ending injury at the time, receive the multiyear commitment. The Colts also traded a sixth-round pick to the Raiders for Moore, whom they cut Tuesday.
Indianapolis’ initial offer to retain Freeman — submitted several weeks before free agency began — was the three-year, $12MM commitment the Bears proposed. But the Chicago deal included $2.5MM in incentives that proved to be the difference, Holder reports, who adds Ryan Grigson preferred to spend Freeman’s money on cornerback Patrick Robinson.
“They ended up signing Nate and paying him more than I made that year. That kind had me off a little bit,” Freeman said. “Ah man, is that how it is? Later on after that year, it was one of those take-it-or-leave-it-type things. I was like, four years and that’s how it is? Take or leave it?”
In the teams’ Week 5 matchup, the Bears will deploy Freeman and fellow UFA signing Danny Trevathan at inside linebacker, while the Colts may use fourth-round rookie Antonio Morrison alongside D’Qwell Jackson. Freeman has 41 tackles this season after making 112 in 13 games in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Kenny Bell
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Rory Anderson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Luke Rhodes (Twitter link via Mich Chappell of CBS4)
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Brian Leonhardt
- Cut: CB Tre Roberson (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune)
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Chase Farris (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss)
- Cut: LB Quentin Gause
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Tyrell Adams, LB Darnell Sankey (via Jimmy Durkin of the San Jose Mercury News)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LB Josh Keyes
Bears To Place Kevin White On IR
The Bears announced that they are placing Kevin White on IR. White suffered a severe high-ankle sprain over the weekend that resulted in a fractured fibula. 
The second-year wide receiver – who is effectively in his first year after missing his whole rookie season – will weigh his options over the next couple of months. If he can avoid surgery, then White may be a candidate to return for the final month or so of the season. If he goes under the knife, then he’s likely done for the year. The team also will have to weigh the prospect of bringing White back against bringing another player off of IR. Cornerback Kyle Fuller, another first round talent, is also considered to be a candidate to return.
White asserted himself as a part of the offense with Jay Cutler early on in the season. When Cutler suffered a thumb injury, he showed that he had a good rapport with Brian Hoyer as well. White drew a whole bunch of targets in the last two weeks of action, but it will be a while before we see him on the field again.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Bears WR Kevin White
Bad news for the Bears. Wide receiver Kevin White will be out for an extended period of time with his ankle injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
After missing his entire rookie season with a shin injury, losing White for multiple games would sting extra hard. This was supposed to be White’s breakout campaign and the Bears were eager to see what the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft could do this year.
White, 24, caught 19 passes for 187 yards in four games this year. Things were ramping up for White in the last two weeks as he caught passes from Brian Hoyer. Between the games against the Cowboys and Lions, the second-year receiver saw a total of 23 targets.
The Bears already have six wide receivers on the depth chart, so they don’t necessarily have to add anyone to fill in for White. Alshon Jeffery leads that WR group with Eddie Royal, Deonte Thompson, Joshua Bellamy, and Cameron Meredith in support.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Audition Three Tight Ends
- Tight ends Rory Anderson, Joel Ruiz, and De’Runnya Wilson all worked out for the Bears today, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Michael Palardy (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)
- Cut: LB Davis Tull
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Corey Washington
- Cut: WR Matt Hazel
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Raheem Mostert (Twitter link via Brett Tessler)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Mike Liedtke (Twitter link via Tessler)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Lee Hightower (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX59)
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Logan Thomas
- Cut: LB Deontae Skinner
New York Jets
- Signed: S Ronald Martin
- Cut: FB Julian Howsare
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE James Cowser
- Cut: DL Demetrius Cherry, LB Darnell Sankey (Twitter link via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: T Brett Boyko, LB Deon King, WR Kevin Norwood
- Cut: TE Austin Traylor
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Cut: WR Jonathan Krause (Twitter link via Auman)
Bears Re-Sign C.J. Wilson
- The Bears re-signed defensive end C.J. Wilson, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wilson was just released over the weekend, but now he’ll trade roster spots with running back Raheem Mostert, who was waived earlier today.
Bears To Start Brian Hoyer Over Jay Cutler?
Could this be the end of the Jay Cutler era in Chicago? The Bears have have enjoyed some success with Brian Hoyer under center and coach John Fox indicated today that he will remain the starter if he continues to play well. “Anybody’s that performing well, I don’t think we’re going to be likely to change,” Fox said (Twitter link via Chris Emma of 670 The Score). 
Cutler has been sidelined with a sprained thumb, leaving Hoyer to start the Bears’ last two games. The Bears lost to the Cowboys in Week 3, but they bounced back with a 17-14 victory over the Lions yesterday. Hoyer obviously isn’t the long-term answer for Chicago under center, but it’s fair to speculate that the team might not want to continue with Cutler either. Cutler is set to count for $16MM against the Bears cap in 2017 but the team could release him and be on the hook for just $2MM in dead money.
In three games (two starts), Hoyer has completed more than 69% of his passes while throwing four touchdowns against zero interceptions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears To Waive RB/KR Raheem Mostert
The Bears are set to waive running back/kick returner Raheem Mostert, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Tessler, with some gentle agent spin, indicates that Chicago is cutting Mostert due to “other needs.” He’ll be re-signed to Chicago’s practice squad if he clears waivers, according to Tessler. 
Mostert was signed to the Bears’ taxi squad on September 13th and was bumped up to the 53-man roster one week later after injuries to Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey. Despite being on the roster for two games, Mostert did not log a rushing attempt or return on special teams.
Mostert, a Purdue product, has traveled all over the league in his short career. He has signed deals with the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets, and Bears since entering the league as a UDFA in 2015.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Not Considering Jay Cutler Move
The Broncos tabbed Trevor Siemian as their emergency quarterback after he left Sunday’s game. Denver’s first-year starter suffered what an AC joint sprain on his non-throwing shoulder, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Siemian will undergo additional tests before the team determines the course of action.
Gary Kubiak categorized Siemian as day-to-day, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (via Twitter). The Broncos, who received 170 passing yards and one touchdown from Paxton Lynch in relief, host the Falcons in Week 5.
Here’s more from the AFC as its signature game of Week 4 continues its one-sided course.
- J.J. Watt underwent surgery on the same disk he injured during the spring, Rapoport reports. The Texans defensive end herniated the disk again this season despite passing the tests needed to play. Per Rapoport, Watt felt like he’d regressed back to where he was before the first back surgery this summer. He will stay in Los Angeles to rehab and be able to resume training in two months. However, the 27-year-old perennial All-Pro will still be out for the season despite the call to resume workouts during it. Rapoport adds the Texans don’t have any long-term concerns about Watt.
- While Ryan Tannehill hasn’t impressed in Adam Gase‘s system, the last quarterback who did is not a target for the Dolphins. Any Jay Cutler-to-Miami talk “has never come up,” with a source close familiar with the Dolphins’ thinking telling Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that scenario is “never happening.”
- Former Dolphins DC Kevin Coyle did not draw rave reviews from his Bengals secondary charges, according to a report earlier this week. However, the Bengals — who beat the Dolphins 22-7 on Thursday night — refute the report the new Cincinnati defensive backs coach is unpopular among his players, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bengals “blew off” that contention, instead pointing to the usual adjustment period associated with new coaches. The Dolphins fired Coyle midway through last season.
- Titans nose tackle Al Woods will miss at least a month of action after pulling his calf muscle on Sunday, Mike Mularkey told media, including Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. Woods is in his third season with the Titans but the first of a three-year, $10.5MM deal he signed to stay in Tennessee this offseason.