3 Bears Veterans Who Will Be Cut Following the NFL Draft

Even though they didn't have the most picks at the 2024 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears still made the most of their selections. The Bears added five promising rookies during last week's trip to Detroit, highlighted by first-round selections and future faces of the franchise Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze.

The arrival of more youth isn't good news for everyone on the team, though. The addition of another rookie class means that Bears veterans who underperformed last season must now face new competition to hold on to their 53-man roster spot. While some will survive, others won't.

With that in mind, let's look at three Bears veterans who could be cut following the 2024 draft.

1. Corliss Waitman, P

The Bears struggled on special teams throughout the 2023 campaign, which had a lot to do with Trenton Gill being among the NFL's worst punters. As a result, Chicago signed fellow P Corliss Waitman to a future contract earlier this offseason to provide Gill with some competition in training camp.

Having said that, Waitman's future is less secure now that the Bears used a fourth-round pick to draft Iowa's Tory Taylor. The 26-year-old was, arguably, college football's best punter in the last two seasons after leading the nation in punts and punting yards in both years. That isn't to say that he'll achieve the same success in the NFL, but it's clear that he has the tools to be a real special teams player.

Now that Taylor is in the mix, there isn't a need for Waitman unless the Bears have already lost complete faith in Gill. Besides, it isn't as if the 28-year-old has the best track record to begin with. The Bears are the sixth organization that Waitman joined since 2020, highlighting his inability to stick around wherever he lands.

At the end of the day, Waitman likely is who he is at this point, whereas Taylor and Gill are both younger with more upside. I see the Bears eventually cutting the ex-CFL draftee before pitting the two remaining options head-to-head.