Bears Activate G Teven Jenkins From IR
OCTOBER 5: Jenkins will be this season’s first IR activation. Despite being designated for return three days before a Thursday-night game, Jenkins will come off IR in time for the Bears’ matchup with the Commanders, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This will be welcome news for a Bears team that has seen three starting O-linemen — Jenkins, Jones and Davis — miss multiple games. Jones remains on Chicago’s IR but will be a candidate to follow Jenkins back onto the active roster down the road.
This activation will shake up the Bears’ O-line. Cody Whitehair, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley, will likely return to the center position he played earlier in his career — the team’s plan upon signing Davis this offseason — while Jenkins is shifting from right guard to left guard to accommodate the ex-Titan. Center Lucas Patrick will be on track to return to a backup role.
OCTOBER 2: Teams can begin opening practice windows for players on IR and the PUP list this week. The Bears will do so with one of their starting offensive linemen.
Suffering an injury during the preseason, Teven Jenkins went on IR just after the Bears finalized their initial 53-man roster. This allowed them to make the young blocker one of their in-season activations. It looks like Jenkins will be in play to return soon, with Matt Eberflus confirming (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) the interior starter is now designated for return.
Designating a player to return from IR means a 21-day practice window is opened. This transaction means the Bears have three weeks to decide on Jenkins, who will either be activated in that span or revert to season-ending IR. With this unspecified leg injury never expecting to end his season, it should be assumed the former second-round pick will return at some point in October. With the Bears having a Thursday-night tilt, it would not surprise if Week 6 became the Jenkins target date.
After struggling as a tackle, Jenkins broke through at guard last season. He graded as a top-10 guard, in the view of Pro Football Focus, despite moving to the post during the 2022 offseason. The Oklahoma State alum returning would certainly help the Bears, who are 0-4 and have seen other availability issues plague them up front. Left tackle Braxton Jones is on IR as well, while free agent pickup Nate Davis has missed two games.
Teams have eight in-season IR activations at their disposal. Players must miss four games upon being placed on IR, but they can now be activated from the injured list twice. From 2020-21, teams enjoyed unlimited IR activations. Opting for a middle ground between the pandemic-era format and the stricter setup of previous eras, the NFL settled on eight in 2022. For Jenkins, this marks his second NFL injury hiatus. He missed much of his 2021 rookie season due to a back injury.
Bears Expected To Waive WR Chase Claypool?
The Chase Claypool situation seems destined to end with a move out of Chicago. The Bears may not be able to find a trade partner for the disgruntled wideout, however, and he may wind up on the waiver wire as a result. 
Since asking Claypool to remain away from the team in Week 4, the Bears have been seeking a deal which will send him elsewhere. No takers have emerged yet, and the 25-year-old will not take part in Chicago’s contest against Washington tomorrow. That decision is expected by personnel around the league to soon be followed by Claypool being waived, as noted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
With less than four years of accrued time in the league, the former second-rounder would not be able to immediately hit free agency as is the case with vested veterans. Fowler adds that the Bears may still be able to land a late-round pick in a swap for Claypool, whose value is obviously at a low point. The 25-year-old publicly criticized Chicago’s offense prior to being made a healthy scratch this past Sunday, and his tenure in the Windy City has not gone according to plan. Claypool has averaged less than two catches and just over 19 yards per game across 10 contests in Chicago.
The Steelers dealt the Notre Dame alum to the the Bears last season as part of the latter team’s trade deadline efforts to add to their passing attack. That goal has since included the D.J. Moore acquisition as part of the deal involving the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, but the Bears have still struggled to produce through the air this season (215 passing yards per game). Parting ways with Claypool will likely not make a noticeable impact on that average.
The latter is set to hit free agency in March, so the following weeks and months will go a long way in determining his value on the open market. Claypool’s underwhelming Steelers exit, which seems destined to be followed by a similar one with the Bears, will no doubt give many teams pause when considering a waiver claim if his situation reaches that point. If he were to go unclaimed, Claypool would be free to sign with any team for the rest of the campaign.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/23
Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Released: S Macon Clark
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Michael Bandy
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Taylor Stallworth
- Activated from practice squad/injured: S Brandon Hill
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DT Junior Aho
New England Patriots
- Released: P Corliss Waitman
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Cameron Erving
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Dez Fitzpatrick, TE Noah Gindorff
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Ilm Manning, RB Jeremy McNichols
- Released: FB Jack Colletto, DL Marlon Davidson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Mason Kinsey
Erving finds a new home in 2023 after originally re-signing to stay with the Panthers in the offseason. The former first-round pick has plenty of starting experience over his eight years in the NFL and has started games at center, guard, and tackle. With several injuries nagging the offensive line in New Orleans, the addition of Erving could prove beneficial.
Matt Eberflus Addresses Bears Future
In charge of one of the league’s two 0-4 teams, Matt Eberflus is aware his days with the Bears may be numbered. When speaking publicly about his standing in the organization, though, he confirmed his focus remains squarely on the immediate future. 
“I’ve been doing this 32 years, so I understand the business,” Eberflus said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “But I understand that to do it right you got to focus on your job, and you got to focus on right here, right now… You can focus on your job and where your feet are right now. Our sole focus is on Washington.”
Tomorrow’s contest against the Commanders threatens to extend Chicago’s losing streak (which is already the longest in franchise history) to 15 games. A loss would drop Eberflus’ record with the Bears to 3-19, and no doubt lead to a fresh round of calls for changes to be made on the sidelines. A report emerged last week indicating the dismissal of Eberflus and/or general manager Ryan Poles would not come as a surprise to many around the league.
Having received his first head coaching gig in large part on the strength of his success as a defensive coordinator, Eberflus has seen the Bears allow at least 25 points in each game during the losing skid. For the most recent portion of that stretch, the 53-year-old has handled defensive play-calling duties following the sudden resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams. The lack of an experienced successor in the organization – OC Luke Getsy is in only his second season as a coordinator – could help Eberflus retain his position through the remainder of the season, Finley notes.
In the end, the views of the McCaskey family (which has never authorized a midseason coaching change) and new president Kevin Warren will determine Eberflus’ fate. Warren has the authority to pull the plug on the current coaching and management regime, though doing so in his first year on the job and with Poles in particular early in a rebuilding effort would come as something of a surprise. For now, at least, Eberflus is confident he does not need to worry about receiving his walking papers.
“I haven’t talked to anybody about any of those things,” he said when asked if he has had discussions with ownership about his job security potentially being in danger. “I feel the support and we’re just focused on Washington.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Phil Hoskins
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Frank Darby
- Placed on IR: TE Parker Hesse
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB DeAndre Houston-Carson, CB Tre Swilling, TE Eric Tomlinson
- Released: WRDontay Demus Jr.
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Herb Miller
- Released: WR Marcell Ateman
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Christian Matthew
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR Kendric Pryor
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: LB Mikel Jones
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Michael Bandy
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Christian Young
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Darren Hall
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Mark Milton, WR Freddie Swain
New York Giants
- Released: RB Taiwan Jones
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Kalon Barnes, CB Tae Hayes, DB Craig James
- Released: OL Chris Glaser, OT Cedric Ogbuehi, CB Nehemiah Shelton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: LB Kyron Johnson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OT Obinna Eze
- Released: RB Greg Bell, WR Jalen Camp
Taiwan Jones will now look to catch on elsewhere after getting let go by the Giants. The veteran joined New York’s practice squad back in August and was elevated for the first two games of the season, with Jones returning one kick and one punt. It’s been a bit since Jones last contributed on offense, but the veteran was a reliable special teams player for the Bills for half a decade (two stints).
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/23
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Waived from IR: LB Buddy Johnson
Denver Broncos
- Waived: CB Essang Bassey
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return: CB Eric Stokes
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: WR Amari Rodgers
- Placed on IR: CB Dallis Flowers (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for return: WR Kyle Philips
- Waived: WR Mason Kinsey, OL Xavier Newman-Johnson
Bears To Sign S Duron Harmon Off Ravens’ Practice Squad
Duron Harmon joined the Ravens’ practice squad in a bid to find playing time in 2023. Rather than doing so in Baltimore, however, he is set to see the field in Chicago. 
The Bears are expected to sign Harmon to their active roster, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The team had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move will be required. Harmon will give Chicago a needed depth option in the secondary, a unit which has been hit hard by injuries early in the season.
Safety Eddie Jackson was among the many defensive backs who missed the Bears’ Week 4 loss, and his availability for the team’s upcoming Thursday night game is in question. The same is true for cornerback Jaylon Johnson, whose absence on Sunday compounded that of Kyler Gordon and Josh Blackwell, both of whom are on injured reserve. The Bears signed former Viking Joejuan Williams last week to help their thin CB room.
Harmon could have seen time on the Ravens’ active roster (at least as a gameday elevation for a limited time) given Baltimore’s own injury troubles on the back end. Starting safety Marcus Williams suffered a pectoral injury in Week 1, and he has not seen the field since then. The 2022 free agent addition has elected to forego surgery, though, meaning he avoided an IR stint and is on track to return at some point in the campaign.
In Williams’ absence, special teamer Daryl Worley – who has seen time on and off Baltimore’s practice squad – was added to the Ravens’ active roster last month. The former Raiders starter suffered an injury in Week 4, however, which could leave Baltimore without much in the way of depth behind Kyle Hamilton and Geno Stone for the time being. It will be interesting to see if they make a taxi squad addition in Harmon’s absence.
The latter is best known for his tenure with the Patriots, a seven-year stretch which saw him win three Super Bowls. He has since had one-year stints with the Lions, Falcons and Raiders, logging over 1,000 snaps in each season. Harmon will likely have a path to immediate playing time in Chicago if he is able to suit up in time for the Bears’ next attempt to secure their first win of the campaign.
Chase Claypool Will Not Be With Bears For Week 5
The Chase Claypool situation in Chicago has moved to a point the team will prepare for its Week 5 game without him. The disgruntled wide receiver will not be in the building ahead of the Bears’ preparations for their Commanders tilt, Matt Eberflus said Monday.
Eberflus’ update (courtesy of ESPN 1000’s David Kaplan) provides a different stance compared to Sunday, when the second-year head coach said the 2022 trade acquisition is expected to remain with the team going forward. Several hours later, it looks like a separation is imminent.
These standoffs do not necessarily mean the end of the line, however. Last year, both Brandin Cooks and Cam Akers went from being at odds with the Texans and Rams, respectively, to finishing out the seasons back as starters for their teams. (Though, both were dealt this year.) Claypool, however, does not have the same type of role with the Bears. The ex-Steelers second-rounder has underwhelmed since being dealt to the Bears at the 2022 deadline. The Bears made him a healthy scratch for their Week 4 game against the Broncos, and a Sunday-morning report pointed to a trade attempt taking place.
While the Bears were believed to be asking for a fifth- or sixth-round pick for the bulky wideout, this particular asset’s value has tanked since he was last on the trade block. In 10 Bears games, Claypool has caught just 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. He has four grabs for 51 yards this season.
Bears coaches criticized Claypool for his effort in Week 1, and GM Ryan Poles issued an ultimatum of sorts after that showing. Claypool then caught three passes for 36 yards in Week 2 but was not a factor in the Bears’ Week 3 loss in Kansas City. In the same vein, Claypool responded in the affirmative when asked if the coaching staff was putting him in the best position to succeed. While this is not a good look, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns added that Claypool’s benching did not solely stem from his comments about the staff, pointing to Eberflus mentioning meetings, practices and walkthroughs after the game.
The Bears surrendered the No. 32 overall pick for Claypool last year. The Packers also sent the Steelers a second-round offer, as they attempted to make an 11th-hour upgrade on their pass-catching corps to help their final Aaron Rodgers-led offense. Pittsburgh preferred Chicago’s pick, believing it would come in higher. That bet proved prescient; the Bears have not won a game since acquiring Claypool. Sunday’s 21-point collapse marked Chicago’s 14th straight loss.
The former Notre Dame standout is tied to a $2.99MM base salary this season. It should not be considered out of a question other teams still value Claypool, but this Bears regime will not recoup anything close to the same level of draft asset it parted with to bring in the 6-foot-4 target nearly a year ago.
Bears Make WR Chase Claypool A Healthy Scratch In Week 4, Actively Trying To Trade Him
6:00pm: There are conflicting reports coming out of Chicago this afternoon following the team’s crushing loss to the previously 0-3 Broncos. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, head coach Matt Eberflus told the media that the decision for Claypool not to attend “today’s game after being made inactive was the wide receiver’s choice,” insinuating that the Bears didn’t instruct the beleaguered player to stay away.
Another source, Adam Jahns of The Athletic, provided an updated report later in the afternoon that a team spokesperson clarified the opposite claim, explaining that the Bears did, in fact, ask Claypool to stay home, away from the game, today.
There is clearly an extreme amount of tension building between the two parties, creating a schism that is starting to seem impossible to span. Eberflus claimed that he anticipates seeing Claypool back in the building tomorrow, but it’s unclear if the two sides will be able to come to a working agreement.
11:45am: Poles is actively trying to trade Claypool, as NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. Poles is calling teams he believes may be in the market for a receiver and is looking for a fifth- or sixth-round pick in return.
11:06am: The Bears have made wide receiver Chase Claypool a healthy scratch for their Week 4 game against the Broncos (Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported the team’s plan to make Claypool inactive). Fellow wideout Equanimeous St. Brown, on the heels of a strong week of practice, will be active for the first time in 2023.
This represents another low in a disappointing Chicago tenure for Claypool. The former second-round pick of the Steelers, who was a focal point of Pittsburgh’s offense over the 2020-21 campaigns, was shipped to the Bears in advance of last year’s trade deadline in exchange for what turned out to be the No. 32 overall pick of the 2023 draft (which the Steelers used to selected Joey Porter Jr.).
Bears GM Ryan Poles added Claypool in an effort to surround quarterback Justin Fields with more receiving talent, an effort that continued with this offseason’s acquisition of D.J. Moore. However, in the 10 games that Claypool has played for Chicago, he has amassed just 18 catches for 191 yards and one touchdown.
As Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times details, Claypool was criticized by his coaches and teammates for not showing enough effort in the Bears’ 2023 regular season opener against the Packers. Prior to the club’s Week 2 game versus the Bucs, Poles said that he expected Claypool to make changes.
“And if he doesn’t,” Poles said, “then we’ll have to figure out what we’re going to do after that.”
While Claypool exhibited better effort in that matchup with Tampa Bay, catching three balls for 36 yards and a score, he caught just one pass for 15 yards in the Bears’ Week 3 drubbing at the hands of the Chiefs despite playing in 86% of the team’s offensive snaps. To be fair, the Kansas City loss was nightmarish for the entire team, but Claypool has obviously fallen out of the good graces of his coaching staff.
Claypool is likewise not too fond of the staff at the moment. When asked this past week if he believed he was being put in the best position to succeed, the Notre Dame product paused for seven seconds before saying, “no.”
“Obviously, there’s other places,” Claypool added. “You can say, ‘Oh, I want to be on the best offense with the highest passing yards,’ but that doesn’t happen in football. You just have to make do with what you’ve got.”
As Finley notes, it is unclear whether Claypool knew that he was being benched when he made those comments, or if the comments contributed to his benching. Either way, it is not a good look for a contract-year player to be scratched by a team that is desperate for offensive production. It is fair to wonder if the Bears will seek to move Claypool at this year’s deadline, though they will obviously not come close to recouping their own investment in him if they do put him on the block.
In related news, the Bears are elevating Tyson Bagent to the QB2 role behind Fields, according to Rapoport. Bagent, an undrafted free agent out of D-II Shepherd University, had an impressive summer and was rumored to be in the running for the backup job when the season got underway. While Chicago installed veteran Nathan Peterman as Fields’ clipboard holder for the first few weeks of the campaign, Bagent has done enough to merit a promotion.
Rapoport made it clear that the move does not impact Fields’ standing with the team.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/30/23
Saturday’s gameday elevations and other minor moves ahead of tomorrow’s slate of Week 4 games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: RB Corey Clement, DL Eric Banks
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: DL Timmy Horne
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: RB Melvin Gordon, WR Laquon Treadwell
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: CB Dicaprio Bootle, S Matthias Farley
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: DB A.J. Thomas
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: TE Tanner Hudson
Cleveland Browns
- Elevated: TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden, QB P.J. Walker
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: C Brock Hoffman
- Elevated: LB Malik Jefferson, TE Sean McKeon
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: LB Ben Niemann, RB Dwayne Washington
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: DT Khalil Davis, T Austin Deculus
- Released: S DeAndre Houston-Carson
- Elevated: T Geron Christian, OL Jimmy Morrissey
Indianapolis Colts
- Elevated: G Ike Boettger, WR Amari Rodgers
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Elevated: TE Jacob Harris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Elevated: LB Cole Christiansen
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: LB Kana’i Mauga
- Placed on IR: LB Curtis Bolton
- Elevated: CB Tyler Hall, OLB Malik Reed
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: S Dean Marlowe, S A.J. Finley
- Placed on NFI list: C Corey Linsley (story), S JT Woods
- Elevated: WR Keelan Doss, DE Andrew Former
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: RB Royce Freeman, WR Austin Trammell
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: WR Robbie Chosen, LB Cameron Goode
- Elevated: DE Chase Winovich
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: WR N’Keal Harry
New England Patriots
- Elevated: DT Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
New Orleans Saints
- Elevated: S Johnathan Abram, CB Cameron Dantzler
New York Jets
- Elevated: OL Chris Glaser
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: S Tristin McCollum, P Braden Mann
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: P Brad Wing
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: CB Kendall Sheffield, WR Willie Snead
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: CB Keenan Isaac, LB J.J. Russell
Tennessee Titans
- Elevated: CB Shyheim Carter, TE Kevin Rader
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: RB Derrick Gore
Walker’s elevation comes amidst a degree of uncertainty regarding Deshaun Watson‘s Sunday availability. The latter is dealing with a shoulder injury, but he has expressed confidence he will be able to suit up. In the event he is unable to play, though, Walker will provide insurance under center. NFL Network’s James Palmer reports Watson will be a game-time decision.
Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, made his Dolphins debut in Week 3, scoring a 68-yard touchdown on his only catch. His performance – along with other depth wideouts currently being sidelined for Miami – will give the 30-year-old a longer look with his new team.
Gore’s elevation will give him the chance to see regular season game action for the first time since 2021. The former UDFA recorded 361 scrimmage yards with the Chiefs that season, but a subsequent IR stint marked the end of his time in Kansas City. Gore has since spent time on the Saints’, and now Commanders’, taxi squads. Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes that fellow depth back Chris Rodriguez has bee ruled out with an illness, opening the door to Gore seeing limited snaps.