HEADLINES

Chicago Bears News & Rumors

Bears To Acquire DT Chris Williams From Browns

August 24th, 2024 at 10:01am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears are not done augmenting their defensive line situation. A day after obtaining edge rusher Darrell Taylor from the Seahawks, the team turned to an AFC North depth chart for another solution up front.

Cleveland is sending defensive tackle Chris Williams to Chicago, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns reports. This is a pick-swap trade, with the Bears receiving Williams and a 2025 seventh-rounder and the Browns collecting a sixth. The 2025 sixth originally came from the Dolphins, Jahns adds.

This late-August period has doubled as a trade window for a while, as teams prepare to set their 53-man rosters. The Bears will use it to reunite Williams with Matt Eberflus. The Colts initially signed Williams as a 2020 UDFA, doing so during Eberflus’ time as Indianapolis’ DC. This should bring scheme familiarity for the practice squad veteran, who played in 13 games as a Colts backup from 2021-22.

The Bears have now made five trades involving veteran players this offseason. They obtained Ryan Bates from the Bills, landed Keenan Allen from the Chargers, sent Justin Fields to the Steelers, dealt for Taylor and have now brought in D-tackle help. Williams, who did not see regular-season time in 2023, has played only 107 career defensive snaps. The former UDFA may still not be a roster lock for the Bears. But this trade suggests the team wanted to get ahead of the waiver process to obtain a player familiar with Eberflus’ defense.

Williams, 26, signed a reserve/futures deal with the Browns in January but may have been likely to see an AFC team cut him once again. Williams went to camp with the Chiefs in 2023, failing to make the Super Bowl champions’ 53-man roster before eventually landing on the Browns’ P-squad to close out last season. The Browns have some established vets at D-tackle, re-signing Shelby Harris and Maurice Hurst and adding Quinton Jefferson to go with Dalvin Tomlinson. Cleveland also used a second-round pick on Michael Hall, providing a presumptive roadblock for Williams toward the 53-man roster.

Williams will join 2023 Day 2 picks Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens at DT, along with veteran Andrew Billings, at DT with Chicago. Pickens has missed recent time due to injury, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs also expecting veteran Byron Cowart to make the roster. Saturday’s trade stands to adjust this calculus. The team did not draft a D-tackle, instead trading back into this year’s draft for D-end Austin Booker. Williams profiles as a depth piece, but it is clear the Bears were dissatisfied with their D-line as the preseason wound down.

Bears Acquire Darrell Taylor From Seahawks

August 23rd, 2024 at 10:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears are set to make a veteran addition along the edge via trade. Darrell Taylor is on his way from Seattle to Chicago, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The Seahawks will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick in return per the terms of the trade, which is now official.

On Thursday, Seattle moved on from one veteran defender by dealing cornerback Michael Jackson to the Panthers. That trade netted seventh-round rookie linebacker Michael Barrett, and today’s move has likewise seen an experienced contributor sent elsewhere in the NFC with the future in mind. Taylor has one year remaining on his contract. This deal will see the Bears take on his $3.12MM base salary after the Seahawks already paid out a $20K signing bonus.

The 27-year-old missed his entire rookie campaign but has been a rotational presence off the edge for each of the past three years. Taylor has started 11 games since 2021, logging snap shares between 44% and 46% during that span. His best season came in 2022, when he totaled 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. His production took a step back last year (5.5 sacks), but Taylor still found himself in Seattle’s plans via the one-year agreement which took the place of an RFA tender.

With that said, the Seahawks were open to trading the former second-rounder in advance of the 2023 deadline. The season-ending injury suffered by Uchenna Nwosu changed that stance and led to Taylor remaining in place to close out the campaign. Moving forward, Nwosu, along with recent second-round selections Boye Mafe and Derick Hall will be leaned on heavily along the edge by Seattle.

From the Bears’ perspective, this move comes as little surprise. Montez Sweat is in place as the anchor of the team’s edge rush, but adding a proven complementary option has long been mentioned as an offseason priority. Talks with Yannick Ngakoue – who played on a one-year Bears pact in 2023 – have taken place. Chicago was also a finalist in the Matt Judon trade, offering a third-round pick for the four-time Pro Bowler. That matched the value of the Falcons’ offer, and Judon was reportedly given the choice between Atlanta and Chicago. After coming up short on those fronts, Taylor will head to the Windy City set up for at least a part-time role.

Chicago also has the likes of DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, Khalid Kareem and fifth-round rookie Austin Booker in place behind Sweat on the depth chart. Taylor – who has 50 combined regular and postseason games and 21.5 sacks to his name – represents an intriguing addition to that group. Questions may remain about the long-term future of the Bears’ non-Sweat edge rushers, but for 2024 Taylor will be a contributor to their front seven. Seattle entered Friday with less than $9MM in cap space, but today’s move will increase that total by more than $3MM. Chicago’s available space will take a hit, though the team will still have over $18MM in available funds with Taylor in the fold.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/24

August 23rd, 2024 at 7:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor transactions to wrap up the week:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived (with injury settlement): WR Jaaron Hayek

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/24

August 22nd, 2024 at 6:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Activated from active/PUP list: OL Yosh Nijman
  • Signed: LB Aaron Beasley

Chicago Bears

  • Signed: WR Peter LeBlanc, RB Jacob Saylors
  • Waived/injured: TE Giovanni Ricci

Cleveland Browns

  • Reverted to IR: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle

Dallas Cowboys

  • Released from IR via injury settlement: DE Shaka Toney

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DL Keonte Schad

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Reverted to IR: WR Jaaron Hayek

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE Isaac Rex
  • Waived: DL Micheal Mason

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: RB Mohamed Ibrahim, OL Chuck Filiaga
  • Reverted to IR: OL Jeremy Flax, S Najee Thompson

New Orleans Saints

  • Reverted to IR: C Sincere Haynesworth

Washington Commanders

Nijman underwent surgery to address a leg injury, and despite Dave Canales indicating the free agency pickup was a ways away from returning, he is back at practice barely a week later. It remains to be seen if Nijman will be able to suit up in Week 1, but he has some time here. The Panthers signed the ex-Packer blocker to be their swing tackle.

Grant will be able to suit up later this season, depending on the terms of the injury settlement. This transaction moves Grant off the Falcons’ roster. The former All-Pro return man has not played since the 2021 season, stacking the odds against him. He is going into what would be an age-32 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/24

August 21st, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s mid-week minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived (with injury designation): WR Jaaron Hayek

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Released (with injury settlement): CB Tyler Hall

Washington Commanders

Interesting move up in Green Bay, where the Packers are essentially swapping out which player will qualify as the 17th member of their practice squad through the International Player Pathway program. They’ll waive the Nigerian, Odumegwu, who joined through the league’s IPP program last year, and assign the international exemption to the Australian kicker, Hale.

It’s unfortunate news for Keene, who doubled in his offensive duties as fullback at times for the Texans. Keene reportedly tore his ACL in Houston’s second preseason game last weekend, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. His placement on injured reserve today will end his 2024 season.

Bears Have Communicated With DE Yannick Ngakoue

August 18th, 2024 at 9:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

Throughout the offseason, Yannick Ngakoue‘s name has frequently come up with respect to the Chicago. The Bears have indeed kept the journeyman edge rusher on their radar.

The Bears “have been talking with” Ngakoue, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes (video link). That comes as little surprise given the team’s lack of proven commodities along the edge who are currently projected to log playing time opposite Montez Sweat. The midseason trade acquisition is attached to a four-year, $98MM pact but the Bears could stand to add a veteran to pair with him.

Ngakoue signed a one-year, $10.5MM deal with Chicago last offseason, and he was a full-time starter during his debut campaign in the Windy City. A broken ankle ended the 29-year-old’s season, though, and limited him to a career-low four sacks. It comes as little surprise Ngakoue (never known for his run defense) remains on the market, although he is healthy and has been floated as a potential Bears target.

General manager Ryan Poles expressed confidence in Chicago’s in-house options at the defensive end spot last month. Earlier this week, however, a push was made to acquire Matt Judon from the Patriots. Chicago offered New England a third-round pick, the same price the Falcons were prepared to pay. When given the choice of destinations, Judon elected to head to Atlanta. It will be interesting to see if the Bears continue to show interest in the veteran edge market with roster cuts looming.

Ngakoue recorded at least eight sacks in each of his first seven seasons in the NFL. The former Jaguar, Viking, Raven, Raider and Colt drew interest at the start of training camps. He took visits with both the Dolphins and Panthers last month, but neither workout produced a deal. With time running out in the build-up to the regular season, Ngakoue is one of several veterans seeking a contract ahead of Week 1. The Bears have more than $21MM in cap space, so another short-term investment would be feasible from an economic standpoint.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/24

August 18th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Sunday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Activated from active/NFI list: T Kiran Amegadjie

Cleveland Browns

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

  • Activated from active/NFI list: Tanner Taula
  • Waived (injury designation): DL Eric Banks

Washington signed in late July, but his Falcons tenure has proven to be brief. The 28-year-old was let go to clear a roster spot for Justin Simmons‘ arrival. Washington last played a regular season game in 2022, and he will now look to find another opportunity ahead of roster cutdowns.

Bears, Dolphins, Texans Showed Interest In Matt Judon; No Falcons Extension Imminent

August 18th, 2024 at 4:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

AUGUST 18: With third-round picks on the table from both the Falcons and Bears, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes Judon was given the choice of which suitor he would prefer to join. His decision to head to Atlanta has not been followed up by an extension, but it adds an interesting layer to his Patriots departure given Chicago’s perceived need for a starting edge rusher to pair with Montez Sweat.

AUGUST 15: Matt Judon‘s contact issue with the Patriots was resolved last night when a trade with the Falcons was worked out. That swap is now official, and New England received a third-round pick as compensation for the pending free agent edge rusher.

Atlanta had competition for Judon before the trade was agreed to. The Bears were “heavily involved” in negotiations, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Just as the Falcons did, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston notes Chicago offered a third-round selection. The Patriots opted to take Atalanta’s pick instead, marking an end to a saga which included missed practice time and frustration over the lack of progress on extension talks.

Perry confirms, to little surprise, that a “sizable gap” existed between Judon’s asking price and where the Patriots were willing to go on a new contract. The four-time Pro Bowler was highly productive during his New England tenure, but a 2023 biceps injury along with his age (32 today) represented reasons for hesitancy on the team’s part. After no resolution was found, the former fifth-rounder will now join a Falcons team which explored an edge rush addition on Day 1 of the draft even after selecting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. 

In addition to the Bears, Fowler and KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson report the Dolphins and Texans showed varying levels of interest in a Judon acquisition. Wilson adds that Houston’s efforts consisted of a “brief inquiry,” and New England no doubt would have preferred to avoid making a trade within the division in the form of a Miami swap. The Pats’ ability to acquire a round three selection came as a surprise to some executives around the league, per Perry, and sending Judon to the NFC also carries value.

The Grand Valley State alum is due a base salary of $6.5MM in 2024 in addition to a maximum of $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. A new contract will be much more valuable, but it does not appear one will necessarily be hammered out between now and the start of the regular season. CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports Judon is set to report to Atlanta without an extension in place or an agreement on one being imminent. Indeed, head coach Raheem Morris said (via Josh Kendall of The Athletic) the team is not committed to an extension at this time.

Players acquired via trade often have the parameters of a new contract in place by the time the swap is official. Exceptions exist, of course, and one ongoing example of the issues which can stem from not finalizing a new (or restructured) deal is the situation between the Jets and Haason Reddick. New York’s recently-acquired edge rusher has one year remaining on a below-market contract, and he has not reported to the team while angling for an adjustment or a multi-year commitment.

Judon did not conduct a holdout as he did last summer, but he made it clear he felt his market value was closer to the top of the position’s pecking order than his 2024 compensation. 12 edge rushers are currently attached to an AAV of $20MM or more; Judon may be hard-pressed to reach that mark given the fact he was limited to just four games last season. Still, a raise could be in order upon arrival in Atlanta. If the Falcons remain willing to let him play out his contract as constructed, though, Judon would be set up to hit the open market next March.

Bears Likely To Retain RB Khalil Herbert

August 18th, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Rory Parks

Shortly after minicamp ended in June, we heard that Bears running back Khalil Herbert could be on the roster bubble. That is no longer the case, with Adam Jahns of The Athletic (subscription required) noting that Chicago needs Herbert and that his place on the club seems secure.

Just last year, it was reported that Herbert was the frontrunner to take over primary back duties following the departure of David Montgomery. Despite the 2023 offseason additions of D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson, Herbert was the obvious candidate for the job, as he showcased high-end potential as Montgomery’s backup in each of the prior two years. During that time, Herbert tallied 1,164 rushing yards on 232 carries (over 5.0 yards per attempt) and six TDs.

Herbert, 26, did indeed open the 2023 campaign as Chicago’s RB1, but given the rushing prowess of former quarterback Justin Fields and the fact that the Bears suffered double-digit losses in each of their first thee games of the season, he totaled just 23 totes in that span. He unfortunately sustained a high ankle sprain in Week 5 and landed on injured reserve as a result.

He reclaimed his starting job near the end of the season and posted two 100-yard performances in Weeks 16 and 17, displaying the burst that the club had become familiar with. The Bears knew, however, that they would be drafting QB Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and as part of their efforts to surround Williams with as much talent as possible, they signed RB D’Andre Swift to a three-year, $24MM contract in March.

The addition of a Pro Bowl running back, plus the continued presence of Johnson and Travis Homer, made Herbert a potential cut or trade candidate earlier in the summer. However, Herbert is still cheap — the 2021 sixth-rounder is making just over $1MM this year, the final year of his rookie deal — he has just 364 career carries, and he managed to post 4.6 yards per attempt last season despite an ankle injury and despite playing on a below-average offense.

As Jahns notes, this may be Herbert’s last season with the team. Nonetheless, the club clearly plans to contend in 2024, and as such, it makes plenty of sense to retain a talented, inexpensive back who can serve as one more weapon in an offensive attack that suddenly looks quite dangerous (depending, of course, on Williams’ development).

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/24

August 12th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Activated from active/PUP: DT Devonnsha Maxwell

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle, S Chase Williams
  • Released: RB John Kelly
  • Waived: DE Marcus Haynes
  • Waived/injured: CB Vincent Gray

Denver Broncos

  • Claimed (from Giants): DB Kaleb Hayes
  • Waived: ILB Alec Mock

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Signed: LB Anthony Hines, TE Neal Johnson
  • Waived: LB Jimmy Ciarlo, CB Myles Jones

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Claimed (from Ravens): OL Tykeem Doss
  • Waived/injured: DB Kalon Barnes

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hernia surgery forced Tampa to the Ravens’ active/PUP list, but the fourth-round pick is ready to return. Needing a double hernia operation after minicamp (per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec), Tampa is unlikely to be ready for practice until at least next week. By avoiding a move to the reserve/PUP list, Tampa is no longer at risk of missing Baltimore’s first four games.

A rookie UDFA, Murphy went down with an MCL injury, per NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe. The Dolphins signed Brown, a four-year Giants special-teamer and backup presence, in April. While the Dolphins continue to deal with linebacker injuries, they did bring Jaelan Phillips off the PUP list today.

Fromm spent most of the past two seasons with the Commanders, but the team — as it transitions to a new regime — cut the former Georgia passer in May. He joins a Lions team that still rosters Nate Sudfeld along with Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker.

Load More Posts