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The Chicago Bears have added some help to the defensive front, though not at the clearest position of need.
Chicago claimed former Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Bravvion Roy off of the NFL waiver wire on Tuesday, August 1. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN broke the news via Twitter.
“Defensive tackle Bravvion Roy claimed by the #Bears, per source,” Fowler tweeted. “Roy played 45 games with 15 starts for Carolina, now gives Chicago interior presence.”
Bravvion Roy Was Solid Contributor in Carolina for 3 Seasons
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GettyDefensive tackle Bravvion Roy, formerly of the Carolina Panthers, was claimed off of the NFL waiver wire by the Chicago Bears on August 1, 2023.
The Panthers selected Roy out of Baylor University with the No. 184 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Carolina hired head coach Matt Rhule away from Baylor in January of that year, and it was Rhule who was leading the franchise when the team decided to bring Roy aboard.
Roy proved a reliable rotation player on the Panthers’ defensive line for his entire tenure with the organization, missing only five regular season appearances out of a possible 50 and starting a third of the games in which he played. The 6’1″, 330-pound DT amassed 76 tackles, including three tackles for loss, 11 quarterback pressures, eight QB hits, five pass breakups, one interception and one sack during his time in Carolina, per Pro Football Reference.
The Panthers waived Roy on Monday in order to make room on their 90-man training camp roster for defensive lineman LaBryan Ray, per Anthony Rizzuti of Yahoo Sports. Roy sent a brief goodbye message to Panthers fans on Twitter that same morning.
“Thank you Carolina,” Roy’s tweet said, followed by peace sign and salute emojis.
Bears Still Desperately Need to Add Edge Rusher
GettyGeneral manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears.
Roy will prove an inexpensive addition for the Bears regardless of how far he makes it with the team this summer, even if he ends up on the final 53-man roster.
According to Over The Cap, the defensive tackle has never earned $1 million in an NFL season. His annual average income is just north of $825,000, with career earnings totaling just shy of $2.5 million. Chicago had access to more than $28.3 million in 2023 salary cap space entering Tuesday.
Roy is the latest addition in a concerted effort by Bears general manager Ryan Poles to revamp what was one of the league’s worst defensive fronts last season. Poles drafted Gervon Dexter Sr. in the second round (No. 53 overall) and Zacch Pickens in the third round (No. 64 overall) to play on the inside a little over one month after signing former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Anthony Billings to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.
Curiously, Chicago is still waiting to add a high-level pass rusher to a defense that finished dead last in the NFL with just 20 sacks in 2022. Poles signed defensive end DeMarcus Walker in March on the heels of a career-best seven sacks for the Tennessee Titans, though there has been no significant changes to the position group since.
Former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has expressed interest this offseason in joining the Bears, while Chicago has been linked to interest in outside linebacker Justin Houston, most recently of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Bears are expected to add at least one bonafide edge rusher to the roster before the end of training camp.
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