Will Sutton - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings Sign Former Bears DT Will Sutton

May 17th, 2017 at 9:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings signed defensive tackle Will Sutton, per a team announcement. Sutton was cut by the rival Bears last week.

Sutton, 25, was selected in the third round by Chicago in the 2014 draft. In the last three years, he started in half of his games and the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus indicate that he had his best season to date in 2016. Still, GM Ryan Pace wasn’t terribly interested in keeping this holdover from the previous regime, as evidenced by his effort to trade him before last year’s season opener.

In his eight games last year (six starts), Sutton had only 15 total tackles but he earned a decent 74.8 overall score from PFF. His 174 snaps weren’t enough to qualify to be ranked, but if he had a larger sample, he would have been ranked as the 44th best interior defender in the league, ahead of notables like Ricky Jean-Francois, Corey Peters, and Cullen Jenkins.

The Vikings project to start Linval Joseph and Sharrif Floyd at the defensive tackle spots in a 4-3 scheme. If Sutton sticks, he could be one of the first DTs off of the bench along with fourth-round rookie Jaleel Johnson.

Bears Release WR Eddie Royal

May 11th, 2017 at 3:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears announced that they have released wide receiver Eddie Royal. In related news, the team has also waived offensive lineman Cornelius Edison, fullback Paul Lasike, and defensive lineman Will Sutton.

Royal, 31 later this month, was an expected cap casualty after the March signing of Kendall Wright. The veteran had one year remaining on his contract, but his $5MM salary was completely non-guaranteed. Royal underwent surgery in late December to fix his turf toe issue and the fact that his release was formalized today could be an indication that he is able to pass a physical and suit up for a team.

Royal appeared in nine games last season for the Bears until he was placed on IR. In his injury-shortened season, he hauled in 33 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns. The receiver first made a name for himself in Denver where he caught passes from Jay Cutler in the 2008 season. Now, both men are out of Chicago.

The Bears are projected to have Cameron Meredith, Wright, Kevin White, and Markus Wheaton as their top four receivers this year.

2017 Proven Performance Escalators

January 17th, 2017 at 6:00pm 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 should be around $1.8MM in 2017. 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 2017 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:

49ers: Aaron Lynch, LB; Marcus Martin, OL

Bears: Charles Leno, T; Will Sutton, DT

Bengals: Russell Bodine, C

Bills: Preston Brown, LB; Seantrel Henderson, T

Broncos: Michael Schofield, OL

Browns: Christian Kirksey, LB

Buccaneers: Kevin Pamphile, G

Cardinals: John Brown, WR

Chiefs: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G; Zach Fulton, G; Phillip Gaines, CB

Colts: Donte Moncrief, WR

Cowboys: Anthony Hitchens, LB

Falcons: Devonta Freeman, RB

Giants: Devon Kennard, LB

Jaguars: Aaron Colvin, CB; Brandon Linder, G; Telvin Smith, LB

Lions: Nevin Lawson, CB; Travis Swanson, C

Packers: Corey Linsley, C; Richard Rodgers, TE

Panthers: Tre Boston, S; Trai Turner, G

Raiders: T.J. Carrie, CB; Justin Ellis, DT; Gabe Jackson, G

Rams: Maurice Alexander, S; E.J. Gaines, CB

Redskins: Bashaud Breeland, CB; Spencer Long, G; Morgan Moses, T

Texans: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE; Andre Hal, S

Titans: DaQuan Jones, DL; Avery Williamson, LB

Vikings: Shamar Stephen, DT

Bears Activate Marquess Wilson

November 15th, 2016 at 5:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have made a handful of roster moves today, and the transactions are headlined by the activation of wide receiver Marquess Wilson from the physically unable to perform list, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (all Twitter links). Additionally, Chicago has placed defensive lineman Will Sutton on injured reserve and signed fellow defensive lineman C.J. Wilson to take his place on the 53-man roster.

Marquess Wilson, 24, should add a reinforcement at wide receiver now that Alshon Jeffery is set to miss the next month after a PED suspension. Out since the summer with a broken foot, Wilson should immediately slot back into the Bears’ regular receiver rotation. 2015 marked the third NFL season for Wilson, and he turned in a career-high 464 yards off of 28 catches with a touchdown in 11 games. He’ll become a free agent after the season.

Sutton becomes the latest Bear to fall victim to injury, and is now the 12th player Chicago has placed on IR, tweets Biggs. A third-round pick under the club’s previous regime, Sutton was involved in trade rumors this offseason, but ultimately remained in the Windy City. Thus far in 2015, Sutton had appeared in eight games, starting six.

C.J. Wilson, 29, has 78 career games under his belt, with most of that time coming as a rotational option with Packers from 2010-2013. He played in 12 contests in 2015 (eight with the Lions, four with the Raiders), and picked up nine total tackles to go along with one sack. Wilson has bounced on and off Chicago’s roster this season, but hasn’t actually appeared in a game with the Bears.

Bears Shopping Three Defenders

September 2nd, 2016 at 11:56am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears have told other clubs that defensive lineman Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, as well as linebacker Christian Jones, can be had via trade, sources tell Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. As Biggs notes, Chicago is unlikely to acquire anything meaningful for any of that trifecta, and all three are in danger of being cut.

The Bears are in the process of overhauling their defense, and GM Ryan Pace clearly isn’t interested in keeping players who were brought in by the team’s previous administration (all three of Ferguson, Sutton, and Jones were acquired in 2014). Of the three, Jones is the most experienced, as he played over 70% of Chicago’s defensive plays a year ago, starting 13 games and picking up 59 tackles. But given that the Bears have signed both Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman, there doesn’t seem to be a role for the 25-year-old Jones.

Sutton and Ferguson, meanwhile, played roughly 40% and 10%, respectively, of the Bears’ defensive plays during their sophomore campaigns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bears Sign Will Sutton, Lock Up Draft Class

May 15th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have agreed to terms with third-round pick Will Sutton, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The agreement ensures that Chicago is the first team this year to get its entire draft class under contract.

Under the new CBA, there isn’t much flexibility given to rookie contracts, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that teams seem to be locking up their draftees quicker than ever — particularly since this year’s draft happened two weeks later, and execs may be looking forward to a little vacation time.

According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Sutton should be looking at a signing bonus of about $586K and an overall four-year value of approximately $2.871MM. You can keep tabs on all of this year’s draft pick signings using our tracker.

Draft Visits: Matthews, Colts, Aikens, Bills

April 22nd, 2014 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Texans continue to do their due diligence on every player near the top of the draft board, as they’re set to host Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews for a visit this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that the Texans’ myriad pre-draft visits with top prospects could be designed to keep teams guessing about which player Houston actually wants, laying the groundwork to potentially trade down from No. 1. Meanwhile, Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that Matthews will visit the Falcons before heading to Houston later in the week for his Texans visit.

Here are a few more miscellaneous draft notes, as we inch a little closer to May 8:

After meeting with the Dolphins on Monday, Clemson wideout Martavis Bryant is visiting the Colts today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson also adds the Panthers and Steelers to the list of clubs that have hosted Bryant for visits so far.
In a separate NFP report, Wilson provides an update on Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens, who is visiting the Colts, Packers, and Bengals this week. According to Wilson, in addition to previously reported visits and workouts, Aikens has also visited the Dolphins, Chiefs, and Buccaneers, and worked out for Cowboys and Jaguars.
According to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago (via Twitter), the Bears traveled to Los Angeles late last month to conduct a private workout with UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr.
The Bills hosted Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans, USC offensive lineman Marcus Martin and Georgia Southern running back Jerick McKinnon today, says Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton has visited with a long list of teams, including the Patriots, Cardinals, Rams, and Lions, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan.
Auburn cornerback Chris Davis worked out for the Falcons, Colts, and Patriots, among other clubs, according to Caplan (via Twitter).

North Rumors: Bears, Ravens, Mosley

April 17th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears met with Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Sutton, considered a good fit as the 3-technique defensive tackle in the Bears’ 4-3 system, had 20.5 sacks in college, including 13 as a junior. Double-teamed as a bulked-up senior, Sutton had three sacks, a fumble recovery and an interception. More out of the AFC and NFC North..

Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley visited the Ravens, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. In 2012, Mosley had 107 tackles with two interceptions and a forced fumble before dislocating his hip in the national championship game and undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.
The Ravens aren’t making any immediate decision on Rolando McClain, so don’t expect any resolution over the weekend, cautions Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Earlier today, the Ravens reinstated the troubled linebacker from the reserve/retired list.
While the Jets’ Eric Decker is the highest-paid free agent at wide receiver, the Lions‘ Golden Tate may be in a position to have a bigger statistical year, says John Clayton of ESPN.com (video link).
The Ravens haven’t brought in Boston College running back Andre Williams for visit or worked him out yet but they’ve talked to him a lot, tweets Wilson.