Teams around the NFL have until 3 p.m. CT to trim rosters to 85 players, so prepare yourselves to witness a masterclass in roster churning today.
The Chicago Bears are among the teams tweaking their roster, getting somewhat of a head start by announcing their placement of tight end Rysen John and Noah Dawkins on waivers. In a corresponding move, the Bears are bringing in offensive lineman Corey Dublin and defensive back John Alexander.
Corey Dublin, Offensive Lineman — The Tulane product was a four-year starter for the Green Wave, where he gained ample experience along the interior offensive line. Dublin was notably a starter at center in 2018 and as a guard in the years that came after. Considering some of the uncertainty among the depth pieces on the line, adding Dublin could suggest there could be any number of offensive lineman on the bubble before today’s roster cuts go down.
Jon Alexander, Defensive Back — Alexander was one of the Bears’ post-NFL Draft UDFA signings who would ultimately get cut. But he must’ve left a good first impression, as he is re-joining the team. A second-team All-Conference USA safety (PFF) while at Charlotte, Alexander also spent time at Kansas State where he chipped in with 25 tackles, 4 tackles-for-loss, 2 pass breakups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery TD, and punt block. The Bears’ secondary has been dealing with injuries, so I wonder if one is serious enough to nudge the team toward this signing.
By my rough estimates, the Bears are at 89 players. Which means they’ll have to move four players off the active roster in order to get to the magic number of 85. For what it’s worth, they don’t all have to be cuts. Players can end up on IR or waived with injury settlements. And as we made note of in Bullets this morning, some players could end up moving on as part of a trade. There are various ways to make roster cuts. So stay tuned.