NEWSLETTER
We figured there were still some roster moves on the horizon for the Chicago Bears, even after the dust settled and the team settled on a 53-man roster.
The first domino reportedly fell on Sunday afternoon:
The #Bears are releasing former starting C Hroniss Grasu, source said, a bit of a surprise. The former third rounder should find work quickly
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 2, 2018
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports the Bears are releasing Hroniss Grasu, who was a third-round pick in Ryan Pace’s first draft as the Bears’ general manager. The University of Oregon product arrived having put together a solid college career. Grasu earned second-team All-American honors as a senior, was a finalist for the Rimington Award (which goes to college football’s best center), and a three-time All-Pac-12 Team member. Unfortunately, Grasu didn’t live up to having a third-round grade – in part, because he didn’t have much of an opportunity to do so.
In addition to struggling with consistency at center, injuries deprived Grasu of valuable practice reps and game snaps during the developmental phase of his early career.
Grasu tore an ACL during Preseason Week 3 against the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2016, a move that moved Cody Whitehair from guard to center and helped lead the team to signing guard Josh Sitton to replace Whitehair. In 2017, Grasu suffered an injury to his snapping hand, which limited what he could in a year where the Bears had a multitude of injuries along the offensive line. As injuries piled up, Grasu struggled to get back to where he was when he was healthy.
It’s possible that Grasu returns to the Bears as a member of the practice squad, so I wouldn’t close the book on his Bears career just yet. But his release on Sunday marks the end of this particular chapter.
