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Marquess Wilson

Bears’ Marquess Wilson Suffers Broken Foot

June 15th, 2016 at 1:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Bad news for the Bears as wide receiver Marquess Wilson has suffered a broken left foot, coach John Fox told reporters. That’s the same foot that Wilson broke in 2015 and that injury ended his season in December. Now, Wilson is scheduled to begin training camp on the active/physical-unable-to-perform-list and he could go into the regular season on the PUP list if he does not make a quick recovery. Marquess Wilson (vertical)

[RELATED: Why The Bears Could Sign Ravens OT Eugene Monroe]

The news is a significant blow to the Bears as Wilson turned in a career-high 464 yards off of 28 catches with a touchdown in 11 games last year. Wilson went under the knife to stabilize his foot towards the end of 2015 and another surgery is on the way for the 23-year-old (24 in September).

Wilson was widely expected to hold down the Bears’ fourth wide receiver spot in support of star Alshon Jeffery, blue chip prospect Kevin White, and veteran Eddie Royal. Now, the Bears will hope to see quality play out of Josh Bellamy and Cameron Meredith to help fill the void. The injury could also open things up for seventh-round pick Daniel Braverman and Marc Mariani.

If Wilson misses significant regular season time, the injury could impact his long-term prospects. Wilson is scheduled to hit the open market after the 2016 season and this year was a chance for him to prove that he can stay healthy for a full year and produce. Wilson missed the home stretch of the 2015 campaign with the aforementioned foot problem and a broken clavicle in 2014 limited him to just seven games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2016 Proven Performance Escalators

February 12th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure is projected to be $1.696MM in 2016. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2016 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:Keenan Allen (Vertical)

49ers: Gerald Hodges, LB

Bears: Marquess Wilson, WR

Buccaneers: William Gholston, DE; Mike Glennon, QB; Akeem Spence, DT

Cardinals: Andre Ellington, RB; Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S; Alex Okafor, LB

Chargers: Keenan Allen, WR

Colts: Sio Moore, LB; Hugh Thornton, G

Cowboys: J.J. Wilcox, S; Terrance Williams, WR

Dolphins: Jelani Jenkins, LB; Dallas Thomas, T; Dion Sims, TE; Kenny Stills, WR

Eagles: Bennie Logan, DT

Falcons: Kemal Ishmael, S; Levine Toilolo, TE

Jaguars: Josh Evans, S; Dwayne Gratz, CB

Jets: Brian Winters, G

Lions: Larry Warford, G

Packers: David Bakhtiari, T; Micah Hyde, S

Patriots: Duron Harmon, S; Chris Jones, DT; Logan Ryan, CB

Raiders: Mychal Rivera, TE

Rams: T.J. McDonald, S

Ravens: Ricky Wagner, T; Brandon Williams, DT

Saints: Terron Armstead, T; John Jenkins, DT

Seahawks: Luke Willson, TE

Steelers: Markus Wheaton, WR

Titans: Brian Schwenke, C

Washington: Jordan Reed, TE

Bears Place Marquess Wilson On IR

December 12th, 2015 at 1:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

An injury-besieged Bears receiving corps encounters more hurdles after the team decided to place third-year target Marquess Wilson on injured reserve, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (on Twitter).

The Bears signed cornerback Demontre Hurst from their practice squad to fill Wilson’s roster spot.

Wilson sustained a foot injury at practice last week, and it will bring an end to his best season thus far. The former seventh-round flier caught 28 passes for 464 yards and a touchdown prior to going down during a mid-week workout.

A unit that’s already been without first-rounder Kevin White throughout the season, Eddie Royal for most of it and Alshon Jeffery at key junctures turned to Wilson at times to patch up the group. The Bears are down to several backups at their skill positions after also placing Martellus Bennett on IR earlier this week.

The 23-year-old Washington State product started six games, just as he did a season ago, but saw his place in the Bears’ pecking order rise after drawing 51 targets (Wilson’s previous high was 32 in 2014) in 11 games. Wilson, who will enter a contract year in 2016, caught four passes for a season-best 102 yards against the Broncos’ No. 1-ranked defense last month.

Hurst’s played in 18 games with Chicago since 2013. The 24-year-old undrafted free agent from Oklahoma will make a roster appearance thanks to rookie UDFA corner Bryce Callahan‘s questionable designation.

 

Bears Activate Marquess Wilson From IR

November 14th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have filled the opening on their 53-man roster by activating wide receiver Marquess Wilson in advance of this weekend’s game against the Vikings, the team announced today (Twitter link). Wilson steps into the roster slot created when Chicago released veteran wideout Santonio Holmes earlier this week.

Wilson, 22, had been poised to assume a larger role in the Bears’ offense this season, with the team hoping he’d step into the role of the No. 3 receiver in the offense, behind standouts Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. However, a fractured clavicle derailed Wilson’s sophomore year, forcing the Bears to place him on injured reserve with the designation to return.

Wilson saw limited action in his 2013 rookie season, having been targeted just three times for two receptions and 13 yards. Even if he doesn’t immediately step into the third receiver role in the offense this year, he should easily top those marks, providing another target for embattled quarterback Jay Cutler.

Bears Waive Santonio Holmes

November 11th, 2014 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bears haven’t made any notable coaching changes or roster moves in the wake of back-to-back embarrassing blowout losses, but it appears at least one veteran player will be looking for work this week. The team announced today that it has cut wide receiver Santonio Holmes from its active roster (Twitter link).

Holmes, 31, was brought on board by the Bears in the summer in the hopes that he could fill the No. 3 receiver role in an offense that was missing injured wideout Marquess Wilson. However, the former Steeler and Jet didn’t make much of an impact in Chicago, grabbing just eight balls for 67 yards. Assuming he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign elsewhere starting tomorrow.

Though the Bears didn’t announce a corresponding addition, the release of Holmes signals that Wilson, who is currently on injured reserve with the designation to return, may be ready to return. In addition to cutting Holmes, the club also made some practice squad changes, signing wide receiver Rashad Lawrence and parting ways with linebacker Terrell Manning.

NFC Notes: Romo, Bears, Barron, Rams

November 1st, 2014 at 6:52pm CST by Rob DiRe

With teams around the league preparing for Week 9’s slate of Sunday games, let’s check in on a few Saturday links from across the NFC….

  • Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has two transverse process fractures in his back, reports David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter). Romo’s status for the next two games is questionable, but with two other QBs – Brandon Weeden and David Vaughan – already on the 53-man roster, the team shouldn’t have to make any moves even if Romo sits.
  • The Bears will get receiver Marquess Wilson back from a broken collarbone he suffered in early August, potentially as early as November 9th against the Packers, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Santonio Holmes and Josh Morgan have combined for only 12 catches and fewer than 100 yards filling in for Wilson. However, Wilson only had two catches in 10 games in 2013, so his return alone won’t guarantee an improvement on offense.
  • In his weekly notes piece at NFL.com, Albert Breer of the NFL Network spoke to a Rams source about the team’s decision to acquire safety Mark Barron from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. “We thought he was a good system fit,” the source said. “And he’s just 25, so there’s plenty of room for growth.” Breer also points out that, considering the Rams already have the league’s youngest roster, it doesn’t necessarily need to keep adding a ton of the young middle-of-the-roster talent that fourth- and sixth-round picks usually become.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

PUP, IR-DTR Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 10th, 2014 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the 49ers and Rams, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many of those clubs may be welcoming some players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the injured reserve list with the designation to return prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to practice.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to the practice field doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player on the PUP list could theoretically return for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest. If the player doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, he’ll revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform list who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

Players who began the season on the PUP list didn’t participate in any preseason practices, but that’s not the case for players on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that players who were placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing next week. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after – for instance – Week 2 will have to wait another two weeks to return to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as next week:

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 Sign Santonio Holmes

August 19th, 2014 at 9:57am CST by Matt Feminis

TUESDAY, 9:57am: According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Holmes’ deal is a minimum salary benefit contract, with no guaranteed money.

SATURDAY, 5:29pm: The Bears have officially announced the signing of Holmes, with Eric Weems being cut to make room on the roster for the former Jet (Twitter link).

9:49am: Veteran receiver Santonio Holmes has agreed to sign with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Holmes, 30, joins the Bears after four years with the Jets. Though he caught just 23 balls and one touchdown last season, he averaged nearly 20 yards per catch despite missing five games because of a pulled hamstring. Holmes also sat out 12 games in 2012 with a Lisfranc injury.

Holmes worked out for the Bears last week, as they’re in desperate need of a third receiver after Marquess Wilson suffered a broken clavicle. Holmes was one of the biggest “names” remaining on the free-agent scrap heap, but thanks to his age, injuries and character questions, he received just tepid interest as his free agency lingered into mid August.

The Jets were relieved to be rid of Holmes when they cut him in March, at which time the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta wrote, “General manager John Idzik released the underachieving, injury-prone diva wide receiver Monday, capping a strange four-year journey sprinkled with malaprops, meltdowns and “misunderstandings.” In June, Holmes’ agent admitted teams were asking if his client is a “diva.” And recently, reports surfaced that the Browns passed on Holmes because they didn’t think his talent was worth the risk of him disrupting team chemistry.

Nevertheless, injury has opened the door for Holmes in Chicago, where Marc Trestman has shown the ability to get star players with unique personalities or coachability issues to buy in. If Holmes has gas left in the tank, he figures to have a realistic chance of playing a key role as a complimentary piece in a Bears offense loaded with talented skill players.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Kluwe, Packers

August 18th, 2014 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Considering Marquess Wilson is a candidate for either the injured reserve list, or the IR with a designation to return, veteran wideout Santonio Holmes has a chance to be more than just a stopgap solution for a Bears offense in need of a No. 3 receiver, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today. A source tells Pelissero that Wilson is expected to be sidelined until at least midseason, so Chicago will have an interesting decision to make on whether to carry the young wideout on the active roster, or shift him to short- or long-term injured reserve. Each club is only allowed to place one player on the short-term IR.

Here’s more on the Bears’ signing of Holmes, along with a couple other items out of the division:

  • Holmes may be a viable third receiver, but he won’t solve the team’s kick return issues, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Mullin also points out that the signing of Holmes continues a trend that has lasted all offseason, as the Bears have opted for veteran additions rather than young developmental pieces, strongly suggesting they’re in win-now mode. As we saw when we broke down their offseason moves, the Bears were one of the NFL’s most active teams in signing veteran free agents.
  • With an agreement reportedly in place between Chris Kluwe and the Vikings, Kluwe’s press conference will take place tomorrow at attorney Clayton Halunen’s office, according to the Star Tribune (Twitter link). However, it doesn’t appear it will be a joint presser with the team.
  • One of the Packers‘ areas of focus this offseason was on the defensive line, where the team made a concerted effort to get smaller and more athletic — B.J. Raji returns, but wide-bodied players like Ryan Pickett, Johnny Jolly, and C.J. Wilson are no longer in the mix. Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examines how the new-look Green Bay defensive line is holding up so far against the run.
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