Brandon Marshall On Last Year’s Trade
Last offseason, the Bears continued their rebuilding process by shipping Brandon Marshall and a seventh-round selection to the Jets in exchange for their fifth-round pick. The Bears were looking to go younger, but the trade was also prompted by friction between the veteran and the Chicago front office. This week, Marshall opened up about the trade to Albert Breer of The MMQB. 
Marshall said that he wanted out of Chicago for two reasons. First, his relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler had deteriorated to the point where the two were no longer on the same page. Secondly, the Bears were upset about Marshall’s foray into television and tried to 86 his role on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.”
“When I sat down with [GM] Ryan Pace and coach John Fox, we met, and I asked, ‘What do you guys think about this?’ It was a big topic,” Marshall said. “And Ryan Pace said, ‘Well, we can do that in the offseason.’ So I was like, ‘Well, what about half the season?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about once or twice?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about bye week?’ ‘No, you can do that in the offseason.’ Right then, I knew I wouldn’t be a Bear anymore, because I think that the business of the NFL is growing every single day, and players are being told to stay in a box and just play football, and we’re missing out on a lot of opportunities, not only to grow as men and businessmen but to experience different things.”
This year, Josh Norman is pushing the precedent set by Marshall as he will appear on FOX during NFL Sundays. The cornerback also accepted the role without running it by head coach Jay Gruden or defensive coordinator Joe Barry.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
K’Waun Williams Fails Bears Physical
K’Waun Williams won’t be joining the Bears after all. Claimed off waivers from the Browns just yesterday, Williams failed his physical today with Chicago. 
Williams is in limbo once again and it’s just the latest turn in the cornerback’s strange offseason. The 25-year-old held himself out of the Browns’ preseason opener after injuring his ankle. The Browns believed that his ankle was fine and insisted that he play. When he did not comply, the team slapped him with a fine and suspension. Then, before the 75-man deadline, the Browns decided to drop him from the roster.
If Williams was healthy, he could have been a quality option for Chicago in the slot. Now, the Bears will continue to look for cornerback health. Meanwhile, today’s failed physical may give additional credence to Williams’ claim that he was too hurt to play in Cleveland.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Waive Kevin Peterson
- The Bears have waived rookie cornerback Kevin Peterson, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Bears Claim K’Waun Williams Off Waivers
The Bears have been awarded former Browns defensive back K’Waun Williams off waivers, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If Williams can get healthy, the Bears could have a valuable slot cornerback for the coming year.
Williams made headlines this offseason as he was wrapped up in a high-profile spat with the Browns. Williams complained of bone spurs in his ankle and removed himself from practice. The Browns did not believe that his ankle issue was serious enough to warrant an absence from training camp and subsequently suspended and fined him for conduct detrimental to the team.
There were some rumblings that the third-year pro could retire, but all indications are that he intends to play.
Bears Reach 75 Man Limit
The Bears have reached the 75-man roster limit in advance of the 3pm CT deadline. The full list of today’s moves is below
Placed on IR:
- QB Connor Shaw
- C Hroniss Grasu
Waived:
- LB Jarrett Grace
Waived/Injured:
- LB Lamin Barrow
Placed On NFI list:
- OLB Roy Robertson-Harris
Shaw left Soldier Field in an ambulance over the weekend after breaking his right leg. Prior to the injury, he was fighting for the team’s third-string quarterback job behind Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer. David Fales and Matt Blanchard will now duke it out for the third-string QB job.
Grasu, a second-year center, tore his ACL earlier this month, robbing the Bears of one of their most important offensive linemen.
Bears Facing Decision On Pernell McPhee
- The Bears face a decision on linebacker Pernell McPhee in the coming days, as Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes. McPhee, who is dealing with a knee injury, is currently on the active/PUP list, and if he doesn’t come off said list by Saturday, he’d be forced to miss the first six weeks of the season. Chicago isn’t saying much about McPhee’s recovery, but it doesn’t look like McPhee will be able to contribute by Week 1.
Broncos Shopping Britton Colquitt
6:39pm: The Broncos are now gauging trade interest in Colquitt, according to Klis, who lists the Vikings, Cardinals, Panthers, and Bears as plausible suitors for Colquitt.
5:56pm: The Broncos have asked punter Britton Colquitt to accept a pay cut, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports (Twitter link) was the first to report that Denver was discussing a restructure with Colquitt.
[RELATED — Gary Kubiak: Experience will have “zero” impact on Broncos’ QB competition]
Colquitt, 31, is scheduled to earn a $3.75MM base salary, and will count $4MM against the Broncos’ salary cap. If Colquitt refuses a pay decrease and is released, Denver would take on $750K in dead money on its 2016 cap. For what it’s worth, Colquitt told Lombardi (Twitter link) that expects the Broncos to cut either him or sixth-round rookie Riley Dixon today or tomorrow, as Colquitt doesn’t think the club would carry two punters into the final preseason game.
Colquitt didn’t play in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Rams, as the Broncos told him before the contest that Dixon would handle punt and holding duties. “Usually they tell you a little sooner but I knew all week that could be a possibility,’’ Colquitt told Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “I’ve only punted six times (in the first two preseason games), he had only punted five times. You can’t take a chance on somebody if you haven’t seen him punt. I had a feeling that would probably happen, which is fine.’’
After accepting a pay cut prior to last season and lowering his base salary by about $1.4MM, Colquitt proceeded to appear in all 16 games, averaging 39.7 net yards per punt, good for only 20th in the NFL.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Cut 10, Including FB Darrel Young
The Bears have trimmed their roster to 80 by cutting 10 players, the club announced today. Chicago will need need to waive or release five more players before Tuesday’s cutdown deadline.
The Bears cut the following 10 players:
- Keith Browner, DL
- Kieren Duncan, WR
- Derek Keaton, WR
- John Kling, OL
- Senorise Perry, RB
- Darrin Peterson, WR
- Joel Ross, DB
- Gannon Sinclair, TE
- Martin Wallace OL
- Darrel Young, FB
Young, 29, is the most experienced of the bunch, as he’s appeared in 90 games during his six-year career (all with the Redskins). Young was just signed earlier this month, but it appears that 2015 UDFA Paul Lasike has won Chicago’s fullback job.
Bears’ Connor Shaw Breaks Leg
Connor Shaw left Soldier Field in an ambulance today after breaking his right leg, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Shaw suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of the Bears-Chiefs game.
Vying for the Bears’ third-string quarterback job behind Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer, Shaw could now be an IR candidate. Although, Rapoport notes Shaw suffered the break above the ankle and did not sustain any ligament damage, so he could return this season if Chicago saw him as valuable enough to keep on the active roster.
But Shaw missed all of the 2015 season with a thumb injury and spent the year on the Browns’ IR. This latest development certainly points to another lost season for the former South Carolina passer whom the Bears claimed on waivers from the Browns last month.
Chicago has 2014 sixth-round pick David Fales on its roster, so keeping him as the third-stringer would be logical despite the third-year passer not having any game experience. The team also houses 27-year-old backup Matt Blanchard, who has also never played in a regular-season game.
The 24-year-old Shaw came to Cleveland as a UDFA in 2014 and started a game that season for the Browns. Despite cutting Johnny Manziel as well this offseason, the Hue Jackson-led team parted ways with Shaw as well, leading him to Chicago. The Seahawks also tried to claim Shaw this summer but sat behind the Bears in the waiver-priority hierarchy.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kyle Long Dealing With Injured Labrum
Bears guard Kyle Long‘s status for Week 1 is entirely unclear as he deals with a labrum issue, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. While one source tells Biggs that Long is sure to be ready in time for the season opener, another source “isn’t optimistic” on Long’s outlook. Long is universally regarded as Chicago’s best offensive lineman, so if he is absent, the club will have some shuffling to do. For the time being, the Bears have moved free agent signing Ted Larsen from center to right guard, while installing Cornelius Edison at the pivot.