Getty Josh Woods has been waived by the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears have officially added veteran wideout Breshad Perriman, and in order to make room on the roster, the team waived linebacker and special teamer Josh Woods.
Woods was one of the feel-good stories of the team’s 2020 season. An undrafted free agent out of Maryland, Woods spent his entire 2018 campaign and much of his 2019 season on the Bears’ practice squad. He worked his way up and made the team’s 53-man roster last season, playing in 15 games.
A reserve linebacker, Woods played most of his snaps on special teams, playing on 60% of the team’s special teams snaps last year. He contributed on just 4% of Chicago’s defensive snaps in 2020, however, so his release isn’t a huge surprise. The team did choose to keep Caleb Johnson, an UDFA out of UCLA, over Woods though, which is notable.
The Bears also officially released cornerback Tre Roberson with an injury settlement, per Aaron Wilson.
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Woods Will Likely Return to the Practice Squad
If he clears waivers, Woods will likely be re-signed to the Bears’ practice squad.
“It can be pretty stressful, pretty nerve-wracking,” Woods said about this time of the NFL season, per Dan Wiederer of The Chicago Tribune. “But that’s not how the game of football is meant to be played, uptight like that. So you have to learn how to play your best ball through all that. And you have to look at this last game as an opportunity. That’s 100% what it is. You never know if it’s your last day, your last game, your last play. That’s exciting and stressful all at the same time.”
Woods could very likely catch on somewhere else even if the Bears do add him to the practice squad. His special teams experience is valuable, and there are plenty of teams who need help in that area.
“I’m appreciative of where I’m now at at this point in my career,” Woods added, “because it gives you just a little more security. Not a lot more. But a little more where you hope some other team will be willing to take a chance on a guy with some valuable experience. But hey, you never know.”
Woods had 14 tackles and a fumble recovery in limited action last season.
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Roberson Never Got to Show What He Could Do
Roberson played quarterback at college in Indiana and Illinois State before the Minnesota Vikings signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2016, which was when he made the switch to cornerback. He spent the 2016 season with the Vikings before being released in 2017.
He became a standout in the Canadian Football League after that, signing with the Calgary Stampeders. He had 10 interceptions 32 CFL games. He signed a two-year contract with the Bears in 2020 for $1.34 million, which was the largest contract for a CFL player since the Miami Dolphins paid Cameron Wake $4.9 million. Alas, it didn’t work out.
Roberson broke his foot while training last offseason and spent the year on injured reserve. He was placed on IR again and given an injury settlement, ending his brief tenure with the Bears.
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