HEADLINES

Kelvin Hayden

Bears Re-Sign Demontre Hurst

September 18th, 2014 at 11:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have filled the final spot on their 53-man roster by re-signing a player that appeared in the team’s Week 1 game. According to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), cornerback Demontre Hurst has rejoined the club’s active roster. The Bears cut running back Shaun Draughn and tight end Matthew Mulligan earlier this week, and had only filled one of those two openings, so no corresponding move is necessary to accommodate Hurst.

Hurst, 23, didn’t play on defense at all for Chicago in the club’s Week 1 game against the Bills, but saw a little action on special teams. He can play the nickel and is expected to provide secondary depth, but as Brad Biggs of the Tribune points out (via Twitter), Hurst’s re-addition to the roster may be motivated more by his special teams ability. The Oklahoma product worked out this week for the 49ers before latching back on with the Bears.

According to Campbell, Kelvin Hayden was also considered for the Bears’ open roster spot, but the veteran cornerback was wary of a cycle that could see him repeatedly released and re-signed.

Bears Cut Kelvin Hayden, Two Others

September 12th, 2014 at 4:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears are in the process of making some changes to their 53-man roster, and have cut three players to clear some openings. According to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter), the club has released veteran defensive back Kelvin Hayden and fullback Tony Fiammetta, and waived quarterback David Fales.

After missing the 2013 season with a hamstring injury, Hayden was cut by the Bears prior to the season, but returned to the team when Marquess Wilson was placed on the IR list with the designation to return. However, he didn’t see action in Chicago’s Week 1 game against the Bills. In fact, all three players cut today by the Bears were inactive last weekend.

Because Fales isn’t a vested veteran, he’ll have to pass through waivers unclaimed to sign with another team or practice squad, whereas Hayden and Fiammetta immediately become free agents. I’d expect Chicago to fill the three openings created by today’s cuts by signing or promoting players at positions that were hit hard by injuries in Week 1, such as wide receiver and offensive line.

Bears Re-Sign Kelvin Hayden

September 2nd, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have placed wide receiver Marquess Wilson in IR with a designation to return, opening up a roster spot to bring back defensive back Kelvin Hayden, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Hayden had been one of the Bears’ last cuts over the weekend when the team trimmed its roster from 75 players to 53.

Hayden, 30, tore a hamstring last August, which landed him on injured reserve, forcing him out of action for the 2013 season. For his career, Hayden has been active for 101 games, including 49 starts, racking up 12 interceptions and 45 passes defended in parts of eight seasons. He’ll be a depth piece in Chicago’s secondary.

Wilson had been poised to assume a larger role on the Bears’ offense this year, but won’t be eligible to return until at least Week 10, since the Bears have a bye in Week 9. When he gets back, he’ll look to carve out playing time on a receiving corps that now features Santonio Holmes behind Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.

Bears Cut Eben Britton, Others

August 30th, 2014 at 4:41pm CST by Ben Levine

4:41pm: The Bears have officially announced all their cuts, so we can add the following names to the list of players no longer on the team’s active roster:

1:35pm: The Bears have also cut a duo of young defenders:

11:12am: The Bears cut down on their offensive line depth this morning, as Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune reports that Eben Britton will be released. The 26-year-old started four games for Chicago in 2013, seeing action on 235 snaps.

As Biggs notes, the only Bears backup lineman with any NFL experience is Brian De La Puente. The team appears ready to roll with rookies Charles Leno Jr. and Michael Ola.

The rest of the Bears moves are listed below:

NFC Rumors: Tynes, Brown, Jackson, Hatcher

March 5th, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers kicker Lawrence Tynes currently isn’t scheduled to hit free agency until after the 2014 season, but a decision on his contract status could mean he hits the open market next week, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. According to Florio, there’s a disagreement over whether the Bucs should have placed Tynes on the non-football injury/illness list or the injured reserve list last season when the kicker developed an MRSA infection. The team opted for the NFI list, whereas if Tynes had been placed on the IR, he’d be eligible for free agency this year, so a ruling will be required.

Let’s round up a few more afternoon notes from around the NFC….

  • The 49ers are “making a push” to re-sign prospective free agent Tarell Brown before Tuesday, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). As Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee details, former Colts GM Bill Polian had high praise for Brown, who Polian thinks is one of the best cornerbacks available this winter.
  • On the heels of a weekend report suggesting the Eagles could gauge DeSean Jackson‘s trade value, Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com reiterates that the wide receiver’s days in Philadelphia may be numbered. In the piece, Mosher explains why he doesn’t think Jackson will be with the team beyond 2014.
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com believes the Buccaneers will be among the suitors for Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jason Hatcher, who the Cowboys may not be able to afford to re-sign (Twitter link).
  • While things could change in the next few days, indications are that the Rams will keep center Scott Wells for 2014, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Wells, who has two years left on his deal, has a cap number of $6.5MM for ’14.
  • Defensive back Kelvin Hayden and tight end Dante Rosario, who both recently re-signed with the Bears, will each make the minimum salary in 2014, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).

Bears Re-Sign Kelvin Hayden

February 28th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have re-signed defensive back Kelvin Hayden to a one-year contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright had reported earlier this morning (via Twitter) that there was a “strong” chance of Hayden returning to Chicago.

Hayden, 30, tore a hamstring last August, which landed him on injured reserve, forcing him out of action for the 2013 season. The former Colt had been set to act as the Bears’ nickel corner, and will likely assume a similar role for Chicago in 2014, unless Charles Tillman leaves in free agency and the team doesn’t add a suitable replacement.

For his career, Hayden has been active for 101 games, including 49 starts, racking up 12 interceptions and 45 passes defended in parts of eight seasons. The Illinois alum was on a minimum-salary contract a year ago, so he’s unlikely to have signed for more than the minimum this year, perhaps with a modest signing bonus.

NFC North Rumors: Bears, Ratliff, Packers

February 21st, 2014 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Over the past two days, we’ve seen some Bears updates and a handful of Packers rumors. We have a couple more tidbits to add to the list, though…

  • Bears general manager Phil Emery may be willing to deal his first-round pick, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. While Wright acknowledges the difficulty to evaluate Emery based on the GM’s dry sense of humor, he got the impression that Emery would field calls for the 14th pick. 
  • The Bears will meet with Jay Ratliff‘s camp in Indianapolis, tweets Wright. In the same tweet, Wright also mentions the team’s interest in bringing back cornerback Kelvin Hayden
  • The Packers may be looking to beef up their quarterback depth via the draft, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of Packersnews.com.