NEWSLETTER
Not to be lost in Wednesday’s … news … was the Chicago Bears parting ways with backup quarterback Nathan Peterman. But less than 24 hours later, Peterman re-joined the Bears. If you went to bed knowing Peterman was out and woke up surprised to see news that he was back in the mix, then we’re all in the same boat. So don’t feel too bad. We can be confused together. At least we didn’t need to be confused for long.
Nathan Peterman Transaction Loop
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin hashed out the reasoning behind the transaction loop. If you love NFL transactional fine print, then these details are for you:
What Does It All Mean?
There are two significant takeaways from Cronin’s reporting.
First is that Braxton Jones’ neck injury (which put him on IR) might not be season-ending. This isn’t to say that it isn’t significant — it was clearly enough to send him to injured reserve, taking him out of action for at least four games. But it would be a wonderful development if Jones can make it back by the end of the year. We’ll continue to monitor this situation for further updates.
The other notable nugget here is that the Bears were looking to sign an offensive lineman off another team’s practice squad. And going about it in a unique way. Whether the player declined (we saw this with Alex Bars turning down interest from the Ravens) or the team elevated a player from the practice squad (a procedural move that essentially blocks teams from poaching practice squad talent) is irrelevant.
The Bears know they need offensive line help and tried to take a particular path to get one. Things didn’t shake out the way they were hoping, leaving the Bears to pivot to an alternative path. One that included Peterman’s release and eventual return.
I’ll admit this is all a bit kooky. But the cut and re-signing of Peterman isn’t some organizational clown moment. Although, I get it if you’re chuckling when reading it. It is all a bit weird.
What Comes Next?
In the end, I see the Bears’ transactions and roster shuffling and think to myself there is no way they’re not done shaking up this offensive line. Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, and Doug Kramer are on injured reserve. That’s two starters and a reserve interior offensive line option. Nate Davis just missed a game due to personal matters last week. Lucas Patrick didn’t practice due on Wednesday due to an illness. The offensive linemen on the practice squad are Matt Farniok, Roy Mbaeteka, Bill Murray, and the newly-signed Austin Pleasants.
In other words, the Bears *SHOULD* be actively browsing other teams’ practice squads, the waiver wire, and free agency bargain bin looking for help. This front office wouldn’t be doing its job.
To be clear, I’m not expecting a splashy move to add lineman help at this point of the season. But it would be surprising (and disappointing) if the Bears didn’t have a few tryouts come through the doors at Halas Hall in the near future.
