Bears Already Cut Ties With 5 Players This Offseason
The Chicago Bears have been changing things up since their season ended in early January. After missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season, the Bears made some roster moves. They parted ways with Matt Eberflus in November.
They made Thomas Brown the interim coach but also went in a different direction. On Wednesday, Ben Johnson was introduced as the next head coach, giving the fanbase a ton of excitement. Johnson is thrilled to join the Windy City.
Prior to landing Johnson as the new lead man, Chicago parted ways with five players on Jan. 6. According to the team website, the Bears signed nine players to reserve/future contracts.
The list included OL Theo Benedet, OL Chris Glaser, WR John Jackson, LB Carl Jones, DL Jamree Kromah, QB Austin Reed, OL Ricky Stromberg, WR Samori Toure, and TE Joel Wilson. These guys will have a shot to fight for a roster spot during minicamp and training camp.
Despite keeping these nine players, the Bears released LB Micah Baskerville, DT Dashaun Mallory, RB Royce Freeman, CB Reddy Steward, and JT Woods.
These guys didn't show enough to GM Ryan Poles to keep them around and were let go.
The Bears will have a new identity in 2025. With Johnson at the helm going forward, Chicago seeks to have a newfound energy. Caleb Williams and the offense will benefit the most from this acquisition.
Granted, there are still holes within this roster that need work, but this was the first step to the overhaul.
Free agency and the NFL Draft are two main avenues to improve the team. Giving players future/reserve deals is another way to keep guys around who impressed the organization.
They'll have their work cut out since there will be a new coaching staff in the building.
More Bears news and rumors: