Lions Reach 53-Man Roster
The Lions slashed their roster to the 53-man regular-season limit and included a couple of notable names in their cuts.
Veteran defensive lineman Corey Wootton did not make the roster after joining the Lions this offseason. The 28-year-old made 22 starts for the Bears in 2012-13 before serving as a Vikings backup last season.
To make room for Zach Zenner and Tim Wright, respectively, Detroit waived George Winn and Joseph Fauria. After releasing former Boise State star Kellen Moore, the Lions also will go into a season with just two quarterbacks for the first time since 2009.
The remainder of Detroit’s cuts are as follows:
- Al Bond, OL
- Crezdon Butler, DB
- Braxston Cave, OL
- Jermelle Cudjo, DL
- Kerry Hyder, DL
- Emil Igwenagu, RB
- Isaiah Johnson, DB
- Joe Madsen, OL
- Nate Ness, DB
- Casey Pierce, TE
- Xavier Proctor, OL
- Jeremy Ross, WR
- Greg Salas, WR (placed on IR)
- Julian Stanford, LB
- Brian Suite, DB
- Larry Webster, DL
- Torrian Wilson, OL
- Jerel Worthy, DL
Bears’ Willie Young On Trade Block
Bears edge defender Willie Young is on the trade block, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It’s not clear whether teams are calling Chicago about Young, or whether the Bears are shopping him, but perhaps it’s some combination of the two.
Young, who will turn 30 later this month, had a career year in 2014, his first with the Bears. After arriving in Chicago following four seasons with the Lions, Young racked up 10 sacks, recording 40 tackles and forcing a fumble as well.
However, Young’s season ended with a torn Achilles in December, an injury that isn’t easy to come back from. While the veteran pass rusher avoided the PUP list this summer, he’s had some trouble adjusting to the Bears’ 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Young is lining up as an outside linebacker, rather than a defensive end, in the new look.
The Saints “may be looking in [the] direction” of Young, according to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune (via Twitter). The Saints, of course, lost their top pass rusher when they cut Junior Galette.
Bears Release Dante Rosario, Bear Pascoe
The Bears are moving on from tight end Dante Rosario after two seasons, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Briggs, who reports they’ll terminate his contract (via Twitter). They’re also parting with fellow tight end Bear Pascoe, Briggs writes.
Rosario, 30, was the second tight end on Chicago’s depth chart last season, behind Martellus Bennett. The former fifth-round pick caught 16 balls for 116 yards, but primarily served as a blocker during his 323 offensive snaps. Although his Pro Football Focus grades weren’t spectacular in 2014, Rosario has traditionally been a very solid run blocker.
The eight-year veteran has appeared in 120 games for four different teams, hauling in 116 passes and eight touchdowns.
Pascoe signed a one-year contract with the Bears this past offseason after spending 2014 in Atlanta, where he caught just two passes (one TD) in a blocking role for the Falcons. Prior to that, the 29-year-old was a Giant for five seasons. He was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2009 and has totaled 40 receptions and two touchdowns in the NFL.
Lance Briggs To Retire, Join CSN Chicago?
5:16pm: Strangely, Briggs’ agent says that the linebacker still wants to play football, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.
2:51pm: Briggs clarifies (via Sqor.com) that he has not filed any papers yet to make his retirement official, though he says he’ll make an official decision in “the coming weeks.” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that Briggs told him he’d submit the retirement paperwork in the next week or so.
2:26pm: Veteran linebacker Lance Briggs has announced his retirement from the NFL, confirming the decision during today’s Cubs/Reds broadcast on Comcast SportsNet. Briggs, who spent his entire playing career in the Windy City, will be joining CSN Chicago as a studio analyst for the 2015 season, participating in pregame and postgame coverage of the Bears.
“I’m excited to continue my partnership with Comcast SportsNet,” said Briggs, who has co-hosted CSN’s ‘The Lance Briggs Show’ with Pat Boyle since 2010. “I’ve had the good fortune of being a part of this network over the past few years. I credit Pat Boyle who immediately made me feel at home here and I always told him I wanted to be here after my career. It’s just a great atmosphere and I love being surrounded by some really great people. This was the right decision for me.”
Briggs, who turns 35 in November, played in 173 regular season games for the Bears in his 12 NFL seasons, earning seven Pro Bowl appearances and making a case to be considered for the Hall of Fame. The Bears, however, opted to go in a new direction this offseason and in early March they informed him that he wouldn’t be returning for another season.
Briggs, who entered the league as a third-round pick in 2003, was a key piece on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears for more than a decade. Known for being tough and durable throughout his career, Briggs has missed 15 of 32 games across the last two seasons. That’s a stark contrast to the four total contests he missed in his first 10 seasons.
After accumulating more than 1,100 tackles, 16 forced fumbles, and 16 interceptions during his career with the Bears, Briggs drew some interest from the 49ers this offseason, as San Francisco saw its linebacking corps depleted by retirements. However, the Niners never reached an agreement with Briggs, and now the former third-round pick will remain in Chicago as he moves onto the next phase of his career.
Bears Acquire Khari Lee From Texans
11:45am: The Bears have officially confirmed the deal, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve waived tight end Blake Annen to make room for Lee on their roster.
10:59am: The Texans and Bears have agreed to a trade, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who reports (via Twitter) that Houston has sent tight Khari Lee to Chicago. In exchange for Lee, the Texans will receive a 2017 sixth-round draft pick, per McClain.
Lee, 23, was one of 16 undrafted free agents to sign with the Texans right after the draft concluded in May, and the Bowie State product has been one of the more impressive players from that group. The rookie tight end has caught at least one pass in each of Houston’s three preseason games, with five receptions for 71 yards in total.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links), the Bears are excited about Lee, since the club likes his ability as an in-line blocker and the fact that he’s a solid red zone receiver. Wilson adds that the two sides worked out the trade last night, following the cutdown to 75 players.
While Lee isn’t a lock to make the Bears’ 53-man roster, the fact that the team was willing to surrender a sixth-round pick for him suggests he’s in the plans. As such, one or two of Chicago’s other tight ends may be in danger of losing their roster spots. Besides Martellus Bennett, the Bears are also carrying veterans Dante Rosario, Bear Pascoe, and Zach Miller.
Bears Claim Zac Dysert Off Waivers From Broncos
4:44pm: The Bears announced that running back Senorise Perry is headed to the IR, as Jahns tweets.
The Bears also claimed tight end Gannon Sinclair off waivers from the Cardinals and released guard Lucas Nix, per Jahns (link).
With that, the Bears are at the 75-man limit.
3:47pm: The Bears have claimed Zac Dysert, who was waived Monday by the Broncos, team sources tell Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune. Dysert is expected to play Thursday night in the Bears’ final preseason game against the Browns.
Dysert was a seventh-round pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2013 and Jahns hears that Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase is very high on him. Dysert spent the 2014 season on the Broncos’ practice squad, so he’s plenty familiar with the signal caller.
The Bears may need a viable backup for Week 1 against the Packers after Jimmy Clausen suffered a concussion in preseason. As it stands, David Fales and Shane Carden are the Bears’ other two quarterbacks, but the UDFA Carden will be released, according to Jahns. Fales has missed most of training camp with an illness.
Reaction To Tim Jennings’ Release
The Bears released veteran cornerback Tim Jennings earlier today, a move that sent a fairly high-profile name out on to the free agent market somewhat unexpectedly. The move doesn’t come totally out of nowhere, and Jennings was the at the back on the depth chart in the third preseason game despite starting in the first two.
Still, with his large contract and penchant for big plays, seeing him hit the free agent market has gotten the attention of the league, or more accurately the league’s beat writers and Twitter followers.
Here are some reactions to the release, including some confusion about his contract status:
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com was initially confused over the release, due to the nature of Jennings’ contract. He believed his salary was guaranteed for the year (via Twitter). He looked to see if the guarantee was only for injury (via Twitter), but eventually confirmed the Bears would not save any money by releasing him.
- Although he was only scheduled to make $4.4MM this season, he will count $6.75MM against the cap after being released, $1.5MM more than if he has made the team, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
- Field Yates of ESPN helped Fitzgerald by pointing out that there is offset language in Jennings’ contract, so the Bears will get some cap relief when he signs with a new team (via Twitter). Of course, that also incentivizes the player to sign for the minimum.
- Fitzgerald adds that this is another Phil Emery contract that backfired (via Twitter), and writes that even at the time the contract was great for Jennings (via Twitter).
- You can add Adam Caplan of ESPN to the list of people surprised by the timing of this release (via Twitter).
- In terms of landing spots, the Cowboys and Buccaneers are two obvious choices, picked out by Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, among other (via Twitter). Jennings played in Lovie Smith’s defense in Chicago, and would fit in schematically for both teams who are in need of secondary help.
Bears Add Kevin White To PUP, Ryan Mundy To IR, Cut 12
The Bears have knocked down their roster to 76 players as of today, meaning they need to make only one more roster decision by the Tuesday deadline. Their most notable release was announced earlier today, with the team deciding to cut ties with veteran Tim Jennings.
The team also added rookie wide receiver Kevin White to the PUP list and safety Ryan Mundy to the IR, according to the official Twitter account.
The cuts were announced by Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times.
- Malcolm Bronson, S
- Josh Chiles, WR
- Kevin Greene, TE
- Cameron Jefferson, OT
- Tim Jennings, CB
- Jeremy Kelley, WR
- Al Louis-Jean, CB
- Rick Lovato, LS
- Levi Norwood, WR
- Olsen Pierre, DE
- Chris Pantale, TE
- Daniel Thomas, RB
Along with adding White to the physically-unable-to-perform list and Mundy to the injured reserve, which leaves the teams roster at 76 players, according to Finley.
Bears To Release Tim Jennings
The Bears are releasing cornerback Tim Jennings, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Jennings, 31, has been in Chicago since the 2010 season.
Jennings started Chicago’s first two preseason games, but acted as the club’s sixth cornerback during last night’s game against the Bengals. The writing was on the wall in terms of Jennings’ roster status — when asked last night if Jennings was competing for a roster spot, head coach John Fox told Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times to “do the math” (Twitter link). Having undergone a knee scope earlier this year, Jennings told Jahns yesterday (Twitter link) that he is still working his way back from that knee surgery.
A nine-year vet, Jennings signed with the Bears after spending the first four years of his career with the Colts. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Jennings posted a successful 2014 season, grading as the league’s No. 28 corner while playing more than 1,000 snaps. During his time in Chicago, Jennings, a Georgia alum, started all but six games, posting 16 interceptions during that span.
Because Jennings’ 2015 $4.4MM base salary is guaranteed, the Bears will take on significant dead money by moving on from him. By making Jenning a post-June 1 cut, they will not only absorb his 2015 cap hit of $5.15MM this season, but also take on $1.5MM in dead money (the ’16 and ’17 prorated portions of his signing bonus) next year.
As a vested veteran, Jennings doesn’t have to pass through waivers, and he should be able to find a new home soon. Jenning is an Atlanta native, leading Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link) to posit that he could be a fit as an extra corner with the Falcons. The Cowboys and Buccaneers, each of whom employ coaches with ties to Jennings, could also be options, speculates Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
“They told me they were looking to get younger,” Jennings tells Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), passing along the Bears’ reasoning for his release. Chicago will now line up with Alan Ball at corner opposite Kyle Fuller, with Sherrick McManis acting as the nickel CB.
North Notes: A.J. Green, K. Moore, Broyles
Four elite wide receivers–Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Julio Jones, and A.J. Green–entered this offseason hoping to sign lucrative extensions with their respective clubs. After Jones inked a five-year extension with Atlanta yesterday, Green is the only member of that group still looking for a long-term deal that will guarantee him $40-50MM and allow him to avoid the possibility of the franchise tag next year. Green didn’t have much to say on how the Jones deal will impact him personally, but per Paul Dehner, Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer, Green just got one step closer to his own big payday from the Bengals.
“We will see,” Green said. “If it happens, it happens. If it don’t I’ll go out there and play. We’ll see. All the receivers are getting bank so we will see if I get there.”
Now for some more links from the league’s north divisions:
- In a pair of tweets, Dehner openly wonders how the Bengals will resolve their defensive line situation. At the moment, Cincinnati has 14 defensive linemen on the roster, and Dehner wonders if the team will keep as many as 10–which would be an extraordinarily high number–and if someone like Margus Hunt could get cut. The Bengals could also seek to trade some of their D-line depth.
- The Ravens entered training camp looking for someone to step up and seize the return specialist job after the team parted ways with Jacoby Jones this offseason. Asa Jackson has gotten the most opportunities to do so, but as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes, Jackson had an uneven game against Washington last night, returning a kickoff 103 yards to the Washington 2-yard line but also fumbling away a punt he had no business fielding. Head coach John Harbaugh said he still can’t handicap the return man competition.
- With injuries to promising young players Breshad Perriman and Michael Campanaro keeping them out of action, Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com writes that the Ravens are still looking for someone to grab the No. 2 receiver spot behind Steve Smith, Sr. Players like Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown have not been especially impressive in the preseason, which probably explains why the team was linked to veteran wideouts last week.
- Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune writes that last night’s preseason debacle against Cleveland proves just how thin the Bears‘ roster really is. He notes that the team will be flush with salary cap room after the 2015 season but will have too many holes to fill to rely on free agency. Biggs says the Bears’ only option is to draft their way out of their current predicament, and that it will take two or three strong draft classes to do so.
- When the Lions signed quarterback Kellen Moore to a two-year extension this offseason, they hoped he would take another step forward in his development, challenging for and potentially winning the backup quarterback job. Instead, as Justin Rogers of MLive.com writes, Moore has been outplayed by veteran Dan Orlovsky and is now in danger of being cut.
- Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes Ryan Broyles is one of the tough cuts the Lions will be forced to make this week.