REPORT: Chicago Bears Pull Another Shocking Roster Cut
The Chicago Bears have already hatched a few surprises during their roster cutdowns over the past 48 hours. They unloaded quarterback P.J. Walker despite initial belief he was the backup to Justin Fields. Alex Leatherwood is gone despite a seemingly solid preseason. Then Trevis Gipson, their best pass rusher for the past month, was also waived. It felt like that was the extent of shocks they could pull off. Once again, GM Ryan Poles found a way to subvert expectations. The Bears have waived another edge rusher, this time veteran Terrell Lewis.
Lewis was one of the unexpected bright spots in training camp for the Bears. He was consistently active as a pass rusher and carried that into the preseason, nothing a couple of sacks. It felt like he’d done enough to earn that spot on the roster. However, it doesn’t appear to have been enough to unseat Rasheem Green and Dominique Robinson as the primary backups. Rather than carry a fifth defensive end, they seem intent on finding help at another position. Offensive line, wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back all seem like possibilities. There is also a chance they might swing another trade.
Chicago Bears are showing that preseason isn’t everything.
It’s apparent what they saw from Lewis over the past month wasn’t enough. Maybe his run defense was poor. Maybe the pass rush success was too much flash and not enough consistency. The truth is Lewis has never been a productive player. He had a few nice moments during his stint with the Los Angeles Rams, but his numbers reflect somebody who rarely won his matchups. Remember, this regime values consistency, effort, and intensity. They don’t want part-time guys.
The interesting question is what they will do now. Having the #1 spot in the waiver wire priority list is highly valuable for the Chicago Bears. Poles is free to claim any player he wants. It was almost inevitable that he’d use it at least once. Somebody else had to get cut to make that happen. It’s just a surprise that Lewis ended up being that guy. Maybe they bring him back on the practice squad. Waiver claims should be filed by midday. News will likely start filtering out by early afternoon.