Tanner Gentry Promoted to 53-Man Roster, Deonte Thompson Released
The Chicago Bears have moved Tanner Gentry back to the 53-man roster, but made a surprising release.
He’s baaaaaaaaack.
In a move that many fans thought should have been made prior to Mitch Trubisky’s first start, the Chicago Bears have promoted Tanner Gentry off the practice squad and onto the 53-man roster. Gentry had great chemistry with Trubisky over the summer, and many thought once Trubisky was elevated to QB1, Gentry would see an immediate promotion.
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While that didn’t happen, it didn’t take long for the fans to get what they wanted. After the Bears receivers really struggled to find any separation for Trubisky against the Minnesota Vikings, the front office and coaching staff has decided to unleash one of Trubisky’s favorite targets to see if he can spark the passing game.
In a move that may surprise many fans, the Bears decided to release Deonte Thompson to make room for Gentry on the roster.
Roster Update: We have promoted Tanner Gentry to our active roster and released Deonte Thompson.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 11, 2017
We have also signed LB Carl Bradford and WR Darreus Rogers to our practice squad. pic.twitter.com/pDakjI0Y3x
While originally, the move looked like Thompson might slide into the practice squad after he clears waivers, the signing of Darreus Rogers makes that unlikely. In all honesty, Thompson probably won’t be signed by another team, although his kick returning abilities may pique the interest of a few teams. If the Bears decide in a few weeks that they’d like Thompson back, in all likelihood they will be able to do that.
But as of right now, the Bears have decided that Thompson does not fit into their future plans. Hopefully promoting Gentry is not just a hollow move by the Bears and they give him plenty of snaps on offense with Trubisky. They showed great chemistry over the summer, and Trubisky definitely could use a reliable target moving forward.