Every single season, NFL fans see franchises attempt to release a player right before the league-mandated deadline to trim rosters down to 53 players just to re-sign them to the team's practice squad.
While it isn't known for sure that is what the Chicago Bears planned to do with one of their cut-day casualties from Tuesday, they won't have the opportunity to entertain the idea after the Tennessee Titans swooped in and signed the standout preseason performer to a deal for this coming season.
Given that the Titans had the worst record in the league last season, they have plenty of holes on their roster that need to be filled. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Tennessee has done just that by adding tight end Joel Wilson to the team's practice squad.
TE Joel Wilson, who the #Bears waived, is expected to sign with the #Titans practice squad.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 27, 2025
Bears Letting Preseason Star TE Joel Wilson Go Has Officially Backfired
Losing Wilson won't be the end of the world for Ben Johnson and this Bears offense. They still have veteran Cole Kmet and first-round pick Colston Loveland on the roster, as well as veteran Durham Smythe.
After reeling in 11 catches for 85 receiving yards and a touchdown, the 25-year-old Central Michigan product looked like a prospect who could, at the least, wind up on Chicago's practice squad. However, once the rest of the league could make their pitch to the tight end, Wilson ultimately decided that taking his talents to Nashville made the most sense for him and his career moving forward.
The tight end position has been a mess for the Titans for years now, and it isn't getting better anytime soon. It is hard to blame Wilson for taking a look at the opportunity there and thinking it could lead to the quickest path to a spot on an active roster. Fourth-year veteran Chig Okonkwo is the presumed starter for Tennessee, with a rookie fifth-round pick and a player with one career reception to his name as the primary backups. The competition for a spot in Nashville just isn't as tough as it will be in Chicago.
Time will tell whether or not this was the right move for Wilson to make. The Bears, and their fans, must move on, though, as they have bigger fish to fry entering the 2025 campaign.