With Bears practice starting at 1:30 p.m., part of me thought the team would get its cuts in well before the 3 p.m. CT deadline.
And Chicago’s football team has done just that:
Parting ways with offensive tackle Julién Davenport, fullback Jake Bargas, defensive tackle LaCale London, and cornerback BoPete Keyes (after making receiver Dazz Newsome the first cut) brings the roster to 80.
There aren’t any surprises among this bunch. Davenport might be the most notable, seeing that he had connections to the new coaching staff from time spent with the Colts. And Bargas was signed just two days ago to hold Khari Blasingame’s place (but nothing more). London was a 2020 UDFA signing from Western Illinois who spent some time on the practice squad. Keyes was among the late-season adds in 2021 when the Bears’ secondary was running on fumes.
Now that the dust has settled, we have one more round of cuts to get to on Aug. 30. It’s a big one, too, as rosters go from 80 to 53. The Bears figure to get anyone and everyone on the bubble action in the preseason finale on Saturday against the Browns. Here’s to players practicing and playing well enough this week to force Ryan Poles into making tough decisions. Let the battles resume!