Ryan Poles said over a week ago there was a good chance the Chicago Bears‘ roster would look really different before the start of the regular season. That was a clear hint the GM could end up securing several new faces on the waiver wire. Nobody could’ve expected what was coming. When the news finally dropped, it was revealed that no NFL teams claimed more players on the waiver wire than Chicago.
While all six are expected to make the final roster, two names stuck out above the rest. One was defensive tackle, Armon Watts. He had five sacks and 33 pressures for the Minnesota Vikings last season. The Bears are thin in the middle of their defensive line. So claiming him felt like an easy decision. The even bigger name was Alex Leatherwood. Just over a year ago, the Outland Trophy winner from Alabama went 17th overall to the Las Vegas Raiders. He struggled a lot as a rookie, allowing 67 pressures.
Whatever it was that went wrong, the new Raiders regime that came in this off-season wasn’t willing to stick it out. Now the Bears have decided to take a gamble on his talent.
The Bears claimed 6 players off of waivers:
OL Alex Leatherwood
DT Armani Watts
DB Josh Blackwell
DE Kingsley Johnathan
LB Sterling Weatherford
TE Trevin WescoNo team added more players via waivers.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) August 31, 2022
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DT Armon Watts:
6-5 307 LBS. Played mostly NT for the Vikings but still had 5 sacks last season (I also think he can play 3T as well). In a 1-gap scheme you still need your NT to be able to shoot gaps and he is quick enough to do that. Long arms and powerful hands pic.twitter.com/3A3Da5RqLq— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears) August 30, 2022
Chicago Bears had differing agendas involved.
Leatherwood is undoubtedly a project. He was bad last year. That is obvious. However, he’s still talented and only 23 years old. There is no reason to think he can’t be salvaged. If the Bears succeed, they will hold his rights for four more years on a rookie contract—pennies on the dollar. Blackwell was an undrafted free agent from Philadelphia. He spent most of the preseason playing the slot corner position. The Bears have depth concerns at that spot.
Kingsley Johnathan was an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse. He signed with Buffalo and had a decent preseason, racking up five pressures on 39 pass rush snaps. He’s known for his good size and intelligence, routinely overachieving in college despite average athleticism. Sterling Weatherford was a preseason standout for the Indianapolis Colts at linebacker. He had 18 tackles, an interception, and a pass breakup.
As for Trevon Wesco, he adds needed depth at tight end. The Chicago Bears need more blocking help at the position, and Wesco proved over the past three years that this is something he can do. Overall, it’s an intriguing group of younger talents that should improve the roster’s bottom and top halves.
