Following the Chicago Bears’ final preseason game on Thursday night, head coach Matt Eberflus said he was concerned about depth at defensive tackle, especially with second-year defensive tackle Zacch Pickens’ availability up in the air before Week 1 of the regular season.
The Chicago Bears traded for a practice squad DT
According to a report by CHGO Sports, the Bears traded for defensive tackle Chris Williams to the Cleveland Browns. The Bears have made two trades in as many days. On Friday, the Bears sent a sixth-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for former second-round pick defensive end Darrell Taylor.
Williams is not as exciting of an acquisition as Taylor, who has experience starting in the NFL. But Williams is a little less costly (not by much). Per CHGO Sports, the Bears sent a sixth to the Browns. The Bears received a seventh-round pick and Williams.
Chris Williams played in 13 games in his first four seasons
Williams has appeared in 13 games and started in none. The six-foot-three, 302-pound defensive tackle has made six total tackles in his career. He’s played 107 snaps in his NFL career. Pro Football Focus gave Williams a 45.5 overall grade for his play in the 2022 season, the last season he played in a regular season game.
Williams has two tackles and two sacks in the preseason.
The Indianapolis Colts signed Williams as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Wagner, so he has experience working with Eberflus when he was a defensive coordinator in Indianapolis. The 26-year-old has spent time on the practice squad during each season he’s been in the league.
The Kansas City Chiefs released Williams from their practice squad last August. He signed with the Browns practice squad in December of 2023. He signed a future/reserve contract with the Browns in January. Jack Duffin with 24/7 Sports projected Williams to be cut next week but to make the Browns practice squad.
The Bears aren’t giving up a ton of draft capital by swapping Day 3 picks. However, it’s curious why the Bears decided to trade at all for a player of a caliber they could have found on the waiver wire next week.
Per the Bears’ statement on the trade, Chicago traded the Browns the sixth-round pick the Miami Dolphins gave the Bears for Chase Claypool last season. The Bears turned a wide receiver they gave up for a second-round pick into a practice squad defensive tackle.
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