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Bears To Sign Connor Barth

By | at September 5, 2016 9:15 am

MONDAY, 9:15am: Barth’s deal with the Bears is for one year, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

SUNDAY, 9:51pm: The Bears are having a busy night, as after agreeing to a three-year contract with guard Josh Sitton, the club is planning to sign kicker Connor Barth, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). Barth is the replacement for longtime Bears kicker Robbie Gould, who was released earlier today.Connor Barth

[RELATED: NFC North Transaction Tracker]

Barth, 30, has been in the NFL since 2008, and has spent time with the Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Broncos during his seven-year stint. He had signed with the Saints earlier this summer, but was released yesterday as part of final cuts. Last year, Barth was in his second go-round with Tampa, and he nailed 23-of-28 field goal attempts. From 50+ yards, Barth was three-for-five, and he only missed one extra point.

Given that the Bears were presumably looking to save money by releasing Gould, it’s likely that Barth signed for something close to the minimum.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Bears To Sign Josh Sitton

By | at September 4, 2016 9:55 pm

After being released by the Packers yesterday, free agent guard Josh Sitton will stay in the NFC North, as he’s agreed to a three-year contract with the Bears, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The deal is worth $21.75MM and contains $10MM in guarantees, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.Josh Sitton (Vertical)

[RELATED: Bears Sign Kyle Long To Extension]

Sitton, 30, is a three-time Pro Bowler who has long been considered one of the best — if not the best — guards in the NFL, so the Packers’ willingness to move on from him certainly came as a surprise. In eight seasons in Green Bay, Sitton appeared in 121 games, starting 112, while delivering dominant results on the interior of the offensive line.

Last year, Sitton graded out as the sixth-best guard in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He received a strong 91.1 pass blocking grade (tied for fourth-best in the NFL) with a still respectable 81.2 mark against the run.

While the Saints were also reported to have interest in meeting with Sitton, he’ll instead head to the Chicago, where his presence along the interior offensive line will be a boon. While the Bears boast the recently-extended Kyle Long at right guard, left guard and center had been wide open following the release of Matt Slauson, the retirements of Nate Chandler and Manny Ramirez, and the injury to Hroniss Grasu.

Sitton will start on the left side, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, while rookie Cody Whitehair and veteran Ted Larsen compete for time at center.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Bears Release Robbie Gould

By | at September 4, 2016 8:21 pm

The Bears have parted ways with the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the organization has released long-time kicker Robbie Gould. Despite the veteran’s recent struggles, the move comes as a bit of a surprise, especially since the Bears don’t have another kicker on their roster. The 34-year-old was set to make $2.9MM this upcoming season.

Aug 18, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould practices a field goal prior to a game against the against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Gould had spent the past 11 seasons on the Bears, converting 85-percent (276-323) of his field goals and 99-percent of his extra points (379-383). After a disappointing 2014 campaign where he only made 12 appearances and finished with a career-low field goal percentage, the veteran seemed to have bounced back in 2015. Gould connected on nearly 85-percent of his field goals, and his kickoffs continued to be as consistent as ever.

However, Gould struggled down the stretch last season, and those inconsistencies carried into the 2016 preseason. In the team’s final preseason game, Gould missed a pair of extra points.

As our 2016 free agent list shows, the pickings at kicker are rather slim.

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Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North

By | at September 4, 2016 6:55 pm

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

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Bears To Sign Logan Paulsen

By | at September 4, 2016 4:05 pm

The Bears have added some depth at tight end, as they’ve agreed to sign former Redskins tight end Logan Paulsen, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). To clear a roster spot, Chicago has waived fellow TE Khari Lee.Logan Paulsen (Vertical)

Paulsen, 29, had been with Washington since 2010, although a toe injury kept him off the field last season. Entering 2016, he found himself buried on the tight end depth chart behind Jordan Reed, Niles Paul, and Vernon Davis. Paulsen compiled 53 catches, 575 yards, and four touchdowns between the 2012 and 2013 season. He was released yesterday as the Redskins formulated their 53-man roster.

With the Bears, Paulsen will play behind veteran Zach Miller, and possibly vie for snaps with Greg Scruggs. Always regarded as a good blocker, Paulsen could fill the in-line tight end role while Miller serves as more of a pass-catcher.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Waiver Wire Priority For All 32 NFL Teams

By | at September 4, 2016 9:46 am

Yesterday was the 53-man roster deadline, but the madness will continue today as teams pick through the waiver pile for talented discards. Priority is dictated by the reverse standings with tiebreakers where necessary, which is to say that it will be the same as the 2016 draft order before all the trades. Unlike your fantasy league’s waiver wire, a team does not go to the back of the list upon making a successful claim. That means that the league’s worst teams from 2015 have a significant advantage today as they make late roster additions.

Here is the complete waiver priority order:

1. Titans

2. Browns

3. Chargers

4. Cowboys

5. Jaguars

6. Ravens

7. 49ers

8. Dolphins

9. Buccaneers

10. Giants

11. Bears

12. Saints

13. Eagles

14. Raiders

15. Rams

16. Lions

17. Falcons

18. Colts

19. Bills

20. Jets

21. Redskins

22. Texans

23. Vikings

24. Bengals

25. Seahawks

26. Packers

27. Steelers

28. Chiefs

29. Patriots

30. Cardinals

31. Panthers

32. Broncos

1 comment Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Newsstand Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Washington Commanders

Josh Sitton To Visit Bears; Saints Also?

By | at September 4, 2016 9:11 am

After the Packers cut Josh Sitton loose on Saturday, upwards of ten teams expressed interest in the Pro Bowl guard. Now, he has his first visit lined up with the division-rival Bears, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Saints could be next on the docket for him, Schefter adds. Josh Sitton (vertical)

Sitton, 30, is a three-time Pro Bowler who has long been considered one of the best — if not the best — guards in the NFL, so the Packers’ willingness to move on from him certainly came as a surprise. In eight seasons in Green Bay, Sitton appeared in 121 games, starting 112, while delivering dominant results on the interior of the offensive line.

Last year, Sitton graded out as the sixth-best guard in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He received a strong 91.1 pass blocking grade (tied for fourth-best in the NFL) with a still respectable 81.2 mark against the run.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Bears’ Roster At 53

By | at September 3, 2016 6:50 pm

The Bears have officially reduced their roster to 53 players, and in doing so, placed LB Pernell McPhee and WR Marquess Wilson on PUP. As such, each player will be forced to miss at leas the first six games of the season.

Cut:

Waived/Injured:

PUP:

  • LB Pernell McPhee
  • WR Marquess Wilson

Braverman was the club’s seventh-round pick this year after posting a whopping 109 receptions for Western Michigan in 2015.

Moeaki has bounced around a bit since leaving the Chiefs in 2012. The 29-year-old played in 11 games for the Falcons last season, but he only hauled in three catches for 58 yards. Following a 2012 campaign where he caught 33 passes for 453 yards and a score, Moeaki has only compiled 11 catches for 192 yards over the past three seasons.

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Bears Cut Several Players

By | at September 2, 2016 4:33 pm

The Bears dropped a number of players today in their quest to get down to a 53-man roster. Here are the cuts that we know of so far. All links to go to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter), unless otherwise noted.

Waived:

Released:

Waived/Injured:

  • LB Danny Mason (link)

Mason suffered a knee sprain in last night’s preseason game. Daniels hooked on with the Bears in late July, making them his fifth NFL franchise since San Francisco picked him in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. The former South Florida quarterback has spent time at both QB and receiver in the pros. In his eight appearances (six with Seattle, two with Houston) last year, he lined up at wideout and on special teams.

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Bears Shopping Three Defenders

By | at September 2, 2016 11:56 am

The Bears have told other clubs that defensive lineman Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, as well as linebacker Christian Jones, can be had via trade, sources tell Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. As Biggs notes, Chicago is unlikely to acquire anything meaningful for any of that trifecta, and all three are in danger of being cut.Christian Jones (Vertical)

The Bears are in the process of overhauling their defense, and GM Ryan Pace clearly isn’t interested in keeping players who were brought in by the team’s previous administration (all three of Ferguson, Sutton, and Jones were acquired in 2014). Of the three, Jones is the most experienced, as he played over 70% of Chicago’s defensive plays a year ago, starting 13 games and picking up 59 tackles. But given that the Bears have signed both Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, there doesn’t seem to be a role for the 25-year-old Jones.

Sutton and Ferguson, meanwhile, played roughly 40% and 10%, respectively, of the Bears’ defensive plays during their sophomore campaigns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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