Snagging offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood from the waiver wire was just the beginning.
In addition to the former Raiders lineman, the Chicago Bears brought five other players into the fold. That makes for a total of six waiver claims. The Tribune’s Brad Biggs has the scoop:
No team claimed more players off waivers than the Bears. And yet, still no new wide receivers. We’ll chew on that for a moment. In the meantime, let’s discuss some of these new players.
DT Armon Watts — The Vikings took Watts in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. After a slow start to his collegiate career at Arkansas, Watts showed out as a senior with a team-leading 7 sacks, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, and three forced fumbles. Once a reserve center, NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein describes Watts as “an efficient, downhill rusher with the power and hand usage to pry open opportunities for pressures and sacks.” The draft profile is an interesting one, so check it out.
DE Kinglsey Jonathan — The Syracuse product had a nice highlight reel while starring for the Orange:
LB Sterling Weatherford — I was waiting for a move like this where Matt Eberflus and his band of merry men with Colts ties tap into their past. There was definitely some buzz for the Indy linebacker — and a strong case for him to make the team:
DB Josh Blackwell — Blackwell was with the Eagles this summer, where Bears Assistant GM Ian Cunningham was last year. Blackwell was a UDFA from the class of 2022, which means Cunningham didn’t get to see him while he was with the Eagles. But perhaps Cunningham checked in with his old friends to possibly get a recommendation. Hey, it couldn’t hurt.
And hey, the speed plays in my book:
TE Trevon Wesco — There’s no way having a Teven and a Trevon will trip up my typing fingers this fall! The New York Post reports seven Jets players were claimed by other NFL teams from the waiver wire, and Wesco was one of them. I figured the Bears would be in the tight end market after rostering just two in their initial 53-player roster.
Respected NFL analyst Brian Baldinger seems to like him:
OK, I’m still surprised the Bears didn’t bring in a new receiver. But maybe that is still coming down the pipeline. I’m not going to lose sleep over a roster churn process that is still ongoing. Also? The most notable receiver, Tyler Johnson, went early in the waiver process to the Texans. I’m curious if the Bears put in a waiver claim, but were too far down the order to successfully grab him. In any case, I still like what the Bears are doing in terms of shaking up the bottom half of this roster. This is all necessary after Ryan Pace left a relatively barren roster.
All in all, that’s a decent collection of new talent. There might not be a game-wrecker in this bunch. But the Bears adding six players via waivers hints at the bottom of this roster getting multiple rounds of turnover as the season progresses. Grabbing six newcomers off waivers now feels like just the beginning.
And from one point of view, it is. Because in order to make room for these six new players, the Bears have to make a bevy of roster moves. We could see some more players released, put on waivers, and perhaps even traded. Stay tuned.