Sedrick Ellis previously played in New Orleans before signing with the Bears earlier this year.
BOURBONNAIS- As the Bears are reporting to Bourbonnais for training camp which begins tomorrow, they have already had to make changes to the roster. This morning it was announced by the Bears that defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis did not report to camp on time.
As the day went on, the Bears announced that Ellis has decided to retire from professional football. This is a huge blow to the Bears because general manager Phil Emery signed the 300-pounder to a one-year, $1 million contract back in June. The contract included $500,000 in guarantees with a $285,000 signing bonus.
While that may seem like a ton of money to regular people like you and me, this was actually the most the Bears could offer because of their salary cap situation. Ellis was brought in to add depth and experience, especially on the interior part of the defensive line. This need was created by the departure of Israel Idonije which was caused by the tight cap.
Not to mention the losses of Matt Toeaina and Amobi Okoye which also hurt the depth along the line. With so many questions about the Bears pass rush during the offseason, Ellis was supposed to address some of those concerns. The Bears were very high on the 28-year-old which is why he was brought into the fold during the full-team mini-camp back in June.
The former New Orleans Saint was also added to the team just in case the Bears lose Henry Melton after this season. But now, the Bears coaches and Bears fans will not get to see Ellis on the field. While no reason has yet been given for this decision to retire {which came out of nowhere}, the Bears didn’t waste time in finding his replacement.
Journeyman Jamaal Anderson was added to the mix today which brings the training camp roster back to 90 players. Anderson can play both end and tackle, he measures in at 6-6 and 282-pounds. The 27-year-old began his career with Atlanta in 2007. He also played with the Colts and Bengals before the Bears signed him today.
He was given a one-year contract with the Bears, the terms of which have not yet been disclosed. The players underwent conditioning tests today and camp officially opens for business tomorrow.
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