Each of the NFL’s 32 teams have until 3 p.m. CT on Saturday to trim 90-player preseason rosters to a group of 53 that will open the regular season. After that, the waiver wire process will open on Sunday. From there you can figure to see a flurry of player movement until teams settle on 53 players to go to battle with for the league’s centennial season.
We’ll track the Chicago Bears’ cuts right here, so consider this your landing spot as we approach Saturday’s deadline:
Unless something wild happens later this morning or in the early afternoon, the surprise cut of the day will be defensive end Jonathan Bullard. The Bears chose Bullard with a third-round pick in 2016, but he never played to the potential he showcased while at Florida. Bullard played 46 off 48 games over the last three years, but never played more than 41 percent of the defense’s snaps snaps. In limited action, Bullard collected just 2 sacks, 62 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 5 quarterback hits.
If Bullard’s upside is to be unlocked, it will come with another team.
The Bears drafted Denmark in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft with dreams of tapping into his superb size and athleticism. Denmark checked in at 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash time at his pro day. Unfortunately, an ankle injury slowed him down this summer and caused hi to miss the preseason. With that being said, I’m surprised the Bears didn’t try to stash him on injured reserve and use the 2019 season as a redshirt year of sorts. The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain believes Denmark could land on the practice squad.
Franklin made offseason headlines for competing in the 40 Yards of Gold event, which featured footballers showcasing their speed. And while Franklin made it out of the first round, he ultimately fell short of his championship aspirations. The “Last Chance U” will probably look to latch on elsewhere if he doesn’t return on the Bears’ practice squad.
Gentry was a standout undrafted free agent who grew into a fan favorite at a time when the Bears didn’t have much going for them in the wide receiver department. But a revamped receivers room has pushed Gentry off the depth chart. I’ll echo Greg Braggs Jr.’s sentiments in hoping the Bills take a look at him and reconnect quarterback Josh Allen with his favorite college target.
When the Bears signed Hall as a free agent, I thought he could slide into a Josh Bellamy type of role. Hall has experience as a stretch-the-field deep threat target and in multiple facets of the special teams unit. Instead, Hall didn’t even make it through cut-down weekend.
At least we’ll always have this highlight package:
Fitts was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft who had some post-hype sleeper buzz. He was a four-star recruit, top-100 overall prospect, and a top-12 player at his position group coming out of high school who originally signed on to play at UCLA. Injuries kept him from truly unleashing his potential in college, and never gained much traction as a rookie last season. It’s possible he lands on the practice squad, where he can develop at a different pace.