Bears Make First Round of Roster Cuts
WR Darrin Peterson – If there is one player that I think the Bears will try to sneak on the practice squad this offseason, it’s Darrin Peterson. He only had two catches this preseason; One for nine yards and the other for a two-point conversion, but the DII receiver put up monster numbers in college.
He’s an FCS All-American who finished his career at Liberty with 214 receptions, 3,127 yards, and 27 touchdowns in three seasons as a starter. Peterson owns the conference record for yards and touchdowns and his tape shows a player with good size and speed (6’1 | 205 | 4.47) who has a knack for tracking down deep balls and making big plays. Expect the Bears to try and stash Peterson on the practice squad.
WR/KR Derek Keaton – Was an explosive kick returner in college, but has been hurt all preseason and doesn’t bring anything to the table as a wide receiver. Keaton was a long shot anyway and wasn’t healthy enough to make an impact for the Bears in training camp.
OT John Kling– A massive tackle prospect (6’8, 314) from Buffalo who was a 2nd team all-MAC player last season. Kling struggled to stay healthy throughout training camp. A former wrestler who has potential to be a mauling run blocker at right tackle, but just couldn’t get enough snaps with the Bears during training camp. Kling could be a guy the Bears try to sneak onto the practice squad, giving him a chance to get healthy and improve his pass pro technique.
CB Joel Ross – With as thin as the Bears are at the cornerback position it’s a pretty bad sign that the Bears are willing to give up on Ross this soon. He has sub 4.4 speed (4.33 at best) and decent size (5’10, 192), but has been roasted in two preseason games so far. In limited snaps Ross has been beaten deep twice and it wasn’t close either time. The Bears secondary is in bad shape and the fact that Ross isn’t worth keeping around doesn’t bode well for his NFL future.
TE Gannon Sinclair – The only player who made it through the whole 2015 season on the Bears practice squad, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see him released this early in the preseason. Sinclair has ideal tight end size (6’6, 256), but the strong play of Rob Housler and Tony Moeaki probably made it an easier decision to release Sinclair. He’s a candidate for the practice squad again next year.
OL Martin Wallace – Was awful at both guard and tackle through three weeks of the preseason. I’m surprised he made it on the roster this long.
The Bears still have five more cuts to make before the first deadline on Tuesday afternoon, but they made their first batch of releases on Sunday. I’d be surprised if at least Peterson doesn’t stick around on the practice squad and think Kling and Sinclair have a chance as well.