Lawrence Marshall

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/19

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Reserve/non-football injury list: DE Tim Ward

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants 

  • Signed: G Austin Droogsma

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Bears Waive Two Kickers, Trim Kicking Competition

The battle to replace Cody Parkey in Chicago is getting a little tighter. The Bears have released kickers Redford Jones and John Baron II as part of a handful of roster moves made Sunday, they announced on Twitter.

After Parkey’s now infamous double-doink eliminated the Bears from the playoffs last year, they’ve gone all out in their search for his replacement. They just had eight kickers at their rookie minicamp for tryouts, and they had four on the roster before making this move. Jones is the former Tulsa kicker who the Bears signed back in January. Baron was an undrafted free agent from San Diego State who Chicago just added last week.

With Baron and Jones gone, only Elliott Fry and Chris Blewitt are left. The Bears have left no stone unturned, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they weren’t done adding to the kicking group just yet. Fry shined in the recently-folded AAF, while Blewitt is the former Pitt kicker signed back in March.

Jones and Baron weren’t the only ones who got bounced from the 90-man roster, as defensive back Adarius Pickett and defensive end Lawrence Marshall were both cut as well. Pickett and Marshall were both rookie undrafted free agents who were just signed recently, from UCLA and Michigan respectively.

The Bears signed two rookie undrafted free agents to take their place, offensive lineman Tommy Doles from Northwestern and defensive lineman Jalen Dalton from North Carolina. Both players participated in the minicamp.

The Bears have had an unstable kicking situation recently, and it’s one of the team’s biggest needs as they look to repeat as NFC North champions in 2019. The battle will be closely monitored in training camp.

Bears Sign 22 UDFAs

The Bears have quite a big UDFA class. Chicago announced that they have signed the following 22 undrafted free agents:

  • Alex Bars, OL (Notre Dame) ($35K of his base salary guaranteed, $5K signing bonus, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter)
  • Sam Mustipher, OL (Notre Dame)
  • Daryle Banfield, DL (Brown)
  • John Baron II, K (San Diego State)
  • Matt Betts, LB (Laval)
  • Blake Blackmar, OL (Baylor)
  • Ian Bunting, TE (California)
  • Jomon Dotson, DB (Nevada)
  • Clifton Duck, DB (Appalachian State)
  • Emanuel Hall, WR (Missouri)
  • Jonathan Harris, DL (Lindenwood)
  • Chuck Harris, LB (Buffalo)
  • Thomas Ives, WR (Colgate)
  • Doyin Jibowu, DB (Fort Hays State)
  • Joe Lowery, OL (Ohio)
  • Lawrence Marshall, DE (Michigan)
  • Adarius Pickett, DB (UCLA)
  • Dax Raymond, TE (Utah State) ($30K of his base salary guaranteed with a $15K signing bonus, per Wilson on Twitter)
  • Ellis Richardson, TE (Georgia Southern)
  • Josh Simmons, DB (Limestone)
  • Marquez Tucker, OL (Southern Utah)
  • John Wirtel, LS (Kansas)

The Bears opted for a lot of small school players, adding guys from places like Limestone, Colgate, Fort Hays State, Lindenwood, and Laval. The signings of Bars and Mustipher are notable because they have a connection to the coaching staff. Both players were coached by current Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand when they were at Notre Dame. The Bears hired Hiestand away from Notre Dame before last season, and he knows what he’s getting in these two players.

It’s also notable that the Bears signed a kicker, because the job will be up for grabs in training camp. Chicago is looking to replace Cody Parkey after his disastrous 2018 season, and they need someone consistent. Baron was a solid college kicker at SDSU with a big leg, as his career long was 54 yards, which is pretty impressive for a college kicker. The Bears already have former AAF kicker Elliott Fry and former Tulsa kicker Redford Jones on the roster, so they’re clearly planning on having a battle royale kicking competition this offseason.