The Chicago Bears trimmed their roster down to 52 players Tuesday ahead of the 53-man roster deadline Tuesday afternoon. The Bears left a space open for Dan Feeney, who will join the Bears 53-man roster once he completes his physical.
General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus continued the Bears’ mass exodus over previous two years of veteran and experienced talent this week. The Bears parted ways with two veteran quarterbacks, PJ Walker and Nathan Peterman.
The Bears also released a couple of Ryan Pace holdovers. Cornerback Kindle Vildor was cut in a move that will save the Bears considerable cash. Trevis Gipson, who requested a trade before the Bears preseason finale Saturday, couldn’t even command a 2025 seventh-round pick from any NFL team after essentially beating up on future USFL players in the second half of games this month–so the Bears had no choice but to waive him.
There were several surprises from the initial 53-man roster the Bears released Tuesday. Here are the three biggest surprises.
1. Velus Jones Jr. made the Chicago Bears roster
2022 third-round pick Velus Jones Jr. didn’t do much to earn a spot on the 53-man roster other than survive bodily harm. With Dante Pettis on injured reserve, the Bears don’t have another option at punt returner at the moment.
Jones struggled with muffed returns during his rookie season. He coughed the ball up in his first preseason game this year. The Bears will keep him for now, but he could be one of the first players that is replaced when waivers become available.
The Cincinnati Bengals made a shocking decision to release wide receiver and skilled punt returner Trent Taylor Tuesday. Taylor could be someone the Bears have an interest in signing this week.
For More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE