The 53-man rosters for NFL teams are living organisms, even a day after roster cut day heading into a season. Players awarded to teams via the post-cut day waiver process have to go on the 53-man roster, rather than the practice squad.
The Chicago Bears were No. 10 in the waiver order after roster cuts, and on Wednesday they ended up with two waiver claims: linebacker D'Marco Jackson (from the New Orleans Saints) and cornerback Jaylon Jones (from the Arizona Cardinals).
In the corresponding moves to make room for Jackson and Jones on the active roster, the Bears have released wide receiver Devin Duvernay and long snapper Scott Daly. It's fair to assume further roster maneuvering is coming to bring them both back before the season opener.
Bears bring back familiar faces via the post-roster cut waiver wire
Jackson was a fifth-round pick by the Saints (No. 161 overall) in the 2022 draft out of Appalachian State, where he won Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. At the 2022 NFL Combine, he ran a 4.55 40-yard dash at 233 pounds and his overall Athleticism Score was top-20 among off-ball linebackers at the event.
Jackson spent his rookie season on IR. Then he appeared in 27 games, mostly as a special teamer, for New Orleans over the last two seasons. Of course that means he played for Bears' defensive coordinator Dennis Allen when he was the Saints' head coach, so there's familiarity there.
The Bears signed Jones as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss in 2022, and he made the 53-man roster during that training camp. He stuck around as a reserve cornerback the past three seasons, with 41 game appearances and five starts (four starts as a rookie). He signed with Arizona as a free agent in March, but they of course waived him on Tuesday during their roster cuts.
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Jackson and Jones are simply depth pieces for the Bears, which isn't to discount how they may contribute as four-phase special teamers or how they might be able step up if called upon to play notable defensive snaps. Familiarity surely drove the decision to place a claim on both guys, and there's a path for both to stick around all season.