As the Chicago Bears trim down their roster to the 53-man threshold, there are still plenty of moves to be made around the league. The Bears, like many teams, are waiting on other names to hit waivers before they make additional moves.
The Bears' biggest question mark, over the past few seasons, has been on the offensive line. But, a growing concern and closely behind that is at defensive end. Now, though, the Bears have a chance to plug a hole there thanks to the Minnesota Vikings' decision to cut ties with second-year pro Gabriel Murphy.
Minnesota's preseason standout was subject of a shocking cut on Tuesday and it left Vikings fans wanting an explanation. But now, that means Murphy is on his way to finding a new team, and it probably won't take long.
The Bears could fix a glaring hole at no cost with Gabriel Murphy
Murphy finished the preseason with 1.5 sacks and was a virtual lock to make the Vikings' roster, so this cut is certainly noteworthy. It raised some eyebrows in Minnesota, which means the Bears should absolutely be interested.
Right now, the Bears will presumably keep Montez Sweat, Dayo Oedyingbo and Austin Booker as their top three pass rushers. Beyond those three, who knows where the rotation lies. But, if Murphy joined the fold, he could very well end up being the no. 4 defensive end.
Murphy went undrafted out of UCLA in 2024 and posted 21.0 sacks, 38 tackles for loss and six pass breakups in his five seasons between the Bruins and North Texas. Last year, he appeared in only two games for the Vikings but made a much stronger impression throughout training camp and the preseason, this year.
Again, this cut was a surprise to the majority of plugged-in Vikings fans.
The Bears chose to cut Tanoh Kpassagnon despite his ties to Dennis Allen, which likely means they are going to be sniffing around for another move at the position. Could Murphy be the play for Ryan Poles? He definitely could be. We'll have to wait and find out if the Bears snatch up this Vikings castoff in efforts to prove them wrong.