Chicago Bears roster cuts are going to be an interesting discussion for the next month. No doubt that head coach John Fox knows this roster is likely going to be the one that makes or breaks him. Anything short of a significant improvement in record will be a disappointment. That means after three years he’s likely out.
All bets are off in such cases. He has to craft the absolute best depth chart he can. In such situations there is no room for loyalty. The 53 players who make the final roster have to be the ones who are performing the best in practice and on the field. Names aren’t worth much to a team coming off a 3-13 season.
With that said here are a few surprising names who could get the boot before the season kicks off in September.
POSSIBLE SURPRISE CHICAGO BEARS CUTS
QB: Mark Sanchez
The Bears signed Sanchez for two obvious reasons. He provided quality depth and experience at the backup QB position. He would also make for an ideal mentor to Mitch Trubisky as he prepares to assume control of the team down the road. Problem is Sanchez is coming off a knee injury. That intervening time has given Connor Shaw a chance to prove he still belongs.
RB: Jeremy Langford
What a difference a year makes. At the start of 2016 Jeremy Langford was the unquestioned starter in place of the departed Matt Forte. Now he’s playing second fiddle to Jordan Howard and may not even be that for long if rookie Tarik Cohen progresses as many expect. Langford is athletic but he also has poor vision, doesn’t break many tackles and has trouble dropping passes. Not a good recipe.
WR: Victor Cruz
There are a variety of factors working against Cruz here. He’s 30-years old, always a big issue on a Ryan Pace team. Also there are two other guys in Markus Wheaton and Kendall Wright who exhibit the exact same skill set as him, and are younger. Throw in his extensive injury history for good measure and the odds don’t look so favorable as they may have when he was signed a couple months ago.
TE: Zach Miller
Like Cruz, tight end Zach Miller is battling age and injury question marks. When healthy he’s shown he can still be productive. Problem is he’ll have more competition this year. Adam Shaheen and Dion Sims are locks to make the roster and should challenge for playing time. Then there is seldom-mentioned youngster Daniel Brown who flashed plenty of promise last year. He’s cheaper than Miller to keep around too.
OL: Hroniss Grasu
The former third round pick has had some rotten luck to start his NFL career. He got his chance to start in 2015 and showed decent progress to end the year. Then before 2016 could begin he tore his ACL. This allowed rookie Cody Whitehair to take over his spot and become one of the best centers in football. Now Grasu, who is looked at as a pure center, may be squeeze off the depth chart due to his lacking versatility.
DL: Mitch Unrein
The reason he was signed was simple. Mitch Unrein was a solid locker room presence who could give the team help against the run. In 2015 he did a nice job of that. Last year was a different story. The defense was gashed on the group and Unrein wasn’t much of a presence when he played. Now Jonathan Bullard is on the rise and free agent Jaye Howard is in the mix too. Having just turned 30, Unrein could be in trouble.
LB: Lamarr Houston
Two torn ACLs in three seasons. That pretty much sums up the reality of Lamarr Houston. Really unfortunate too because it looked like he was starting to love the defensive system of Vic Fangio. He notched eight sacks in 2015. Now it’s unsure where he stands. The Bears are willing to give him a chance to at least compete in camp. His biggest hope at this point is a lack of young depth at outside linebacker.
DB: Deiondre Hall
There is nothing worse than being a player stuck in limbo. That is where Deiondre Hall sits at the moment. The former fourth round pick looked like a cornerback with high potential as a rookie. He was later benched after inconsistent play. Chicago now plans to try him at safety, believing his mix of size and range might fit better there. Problem is that position underwent an infusion of new bodies just like cornerback did. So Hall is no longer battling for a starting job. He might be battling for his roster spot.
ST: Connor Barth
Saying goodbye to Robbie Gould was difficult in 2016. Not unexpected given his inconsistencies, but still a tough pill to swallow. Accepting Connor Barth as his replacement was an even greater challenge. He just wasn’t that good last year. Yet the Bears brought him back anyway. Most would assume this is a sign of good faith. However, people should not ignore the presence of rookie Andy Phillips. He was a standout in college and has all the tools to start in the NFL. As stated before Pace likes to go young.
