Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus Chicago Bears speaks to the media during minicamp at Halas Hall on June 15, 2023 in Lake Forest, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears are cutting two notable players from their special teams unit to create room on their roster for their latest two free agent signings.
According to the team’s official transaction wire for July 25, the Bears waived veteran punter Ryan Anderson and insider linebacker Sterling Weatherford — a core special teams contributor in 2022 — from their training-camp roster on Tuesday.
In a pair of corresponding moves, the Bears also officially signed former Pittsburgh Steelers fourth-round linebacker Buddy Johnson and veteran wide receiver Isaiah Ford to fill the newly-opened spots on their roster, keeping them at the 90-player capacity.
Anderson’s departure effectively ends the offseason punting battle between him and second-year Trenton Gill, who started every game as a rookie in 2022. While it is a little surprising to see Anderson waived before the first practice of camp, the move suggests the Bears are confident enough in Gill to trust him as their starter for another year; although, it is possible they could add another punter still to challenge him for camp.
The Bears are scheduled to hold their first practice of 2023 camp at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 26, and will have about two and a half weeks to prepare for their first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, August 12 at 1 p.m. ET.
Weatherford Played 4th-Most Special Teams Snaps in 2023
Weatherford was an under-the-radar rookie contributor for the Bears during the 2022 season. While he did not get an opportunity to play any defensive snaps at linebacker, he was one of their most active special teams players, playing the fourth-most snaps (224) in the third phase behind only DeAndre Houston-Carson (285), Joe Thomas (264) and Josh Blackwell (244). He also recorded four special-teams tackles.
Unfortunately, Weatherford was also a little undisciplined. While he did not miss a single tackle — unlike Blackwell, who missed six — he committed at least two more penalties than any other special-teams player on the roster aside from Gill, who was flagged for two penalties. Granted, Weatherford gets some slack as an undrafted rookie, but it is an issue the 24-year-old linebacker will have to get corrected in his next stop.
Special teams value aside, the writing has been on the wall for Weatherford since the middle of the 2023 offseason. The Bears significantly upgraded their linebacker corps over the past several months, signing Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards and Dylan Cole and cashing in one of their fifth-round picks on Oregon standout Noah Sewell. With those four additions alongside returning rookie starter Jack Sanborn, there simply isn’t much room for lesser linebacker talent, regardless of their special teams utility.
Bears Still Have Few Special Teams Roles to Sort Out
Gill has now emerged as the starting punter by default with no one else on the roster (currently) to challenge him for his job, but the Bears will still have a few other special teams battles to watch attentively over the next month of training-camp practices.
At kicker, the Bears have a mostly consistent veteran in 31-year-old Cairo Santos who is coming off the second-most accurate season of his career as a field-goal kicker (91.3%). He will have a challenger in undrafted rookie signing Andre Szmyt, though, who had a record-setting career at Syracuse and garnered interest from the Bears during the pre-draft process. While the Bears might be inclined to let Santos play out the final year of his contract in 2023, they could save $4 million against the salary cap if they cut him.
The Bears also have to determine who will be returning punts and kickoffs for them in 2023. Velus Jones Jr., a 2022 third-round pick, figures to be the top candidate in both areas, but his rookie struggles with those responsibilities create an opening for other players — including fourth-round wide receiver Tyler Scott — to win the job away from him. The Bears also re-signed veteran receiver Dante Pettis, who closed out last season as their primary punt returner and may need that role to secure a roster spot in 2023.