Remember the line that GM Ryan Pace said months ago. The best ability in the NFL is availability. Players who can’t stay on the field for one reason or another tend to find themselves out of a job. Or at least should. That is something that must be factored in as the Chicago Bears prepare to whittle down their roster from the 80 players they had this past weekend to the league-required 53. According to Matt Nagy, he and the coaches are in the process of determining exactly that.
So far the Bears haven’t released anybody unexpected. The most recent name to go was wide receiver Chris Lacy. However, Nagy’s answer to a question during his most recent press conference is worth noting. It came when an inquiry was made as to whether cornerback Desmond Trufant was back with the team after taking time off following the death of his father. He has not, and Nagy didn’t sound like somebody excited to get him back either.
That reaction isn’t shocking.
Trufant has done nothing this offseason to suggest he deserves a place on the Bears roster. There is no denying he came with some name recognition. A former 1st round pick and a Pro Bowler in 2015. However, Trufant hasn’t been anything special for years now. He’s struggled with injuries. Something that struck again in training camp. That combined with this unfortunate off-the-field issue caused him to miss the entire preseason.
Chicago has stated from the beginning that their roster is all about competition. If you play well, you’ll earn a job. Having a big name is nice, but it means little if you don’t live up to it. Trufant has not. The Bears haven’t guaranteed him any big contract. Yes, they have concerns at cornerback but it’s not like he has proven able to help solve them.
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Matt Nagy will send a big message with this decision
If he decides to keep Trufant, it’ll be clear to a lot of guys on that roster that name recognition matters more to this team than being present and working hard for an opportunity. Guys like Tre Roberson, Artie Burns, and even Xavier Crawford haven’t missed much action all summer and have actually looked decent when given opportunities. Why should they lose their jobs because Trufant was good four or five years ago?
Matt Nagy is a good coach. A solid leader. However, his grasp of personnel hasn’t always been sharp. His decision to go with the more experience Rashaad Coward last year on the offensive line instead of Alex Bars really hurt the Bears’ blocking for weeks. It feels like this is another of those situations where he will keep the veteran, let him play, see him underachieve, and then finally go to somebody who probably should’ve been playing ahead of him, to begin with.
That is another reason fans are so frustrated with him.
Final cuts must be concluded by Tuesday afternoon on August 31st. If Trufant isn’t back by then, one has to think he won’t have a locker waiting for him whenever he does decide to return. It wouldn’t be a big surprise if the Bears went hunting for cornerback help on the waiver wire.