Bears Add Highly Rated Rookie DE, Cut 3 More After Minicamp

Getty Houston defensive end D'Anthony Jones signed with the Bears on Monday, May 8.

One of Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded pass rushers of the 2022 college football season is officially joining up with the Chicago Bears defense.

Following their rookie minicamp over the weekend, the Bears officially signed former Houston standout defensive end D’Anthony Jones to their 90-man offseason roster after he impressed them as a tryout player during the two-day training event.

Jones went undrafted in last month’s 2023 NFL draft, but the six-foot, 276-pound defensive end is coming off a strong senior season in which he racked up eight sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss and an FBS-leading five forced fumbles for the Cougars. He also finished with the seventh-highest pass-rushing grade (93.1) from Pro Football Focus, which led the way for all edges who played at least 92 pass-rushing snaps in 2022.

The Bears also made a few more alterations to their 90-man roster on Monday. They signed veteran tight end Stephen Carlson along with offensive lineman Josh Lugg and safety Bralen Trahan, both of whom are undrafted rookies. To avoid going over the 90-man roster limit, they also waived undrafted rookies Nick Amoah (offensive line), Justin Broiles (defensive back) and Damien Caffrey (tight end) in corresponding moves.

D’Anthony Jones Could Carve Out Rotational Role

For an undrafted pass rusher looking to earn a permanent role with an NFL team this summer, Jones couldn’t have landed in a much better spot than Chicago.

The Bears are craving more young talent at defensive end after being unable to land any of their preferred targets at the position during the 2023 draft, and while DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green were signed to give them more experience in the room, the rotation is largely unsettled at this point in the offseason. If Jones can build off a strong minicamp and continue to show out during OTAs, he could put himself in a good spot to potentially push Green or Dominique Robinson for a depth role in the rotation.

One wrinkle that could present itself for Jones, though, is if the Bears sign another veteran pass rusher prior to the start of camp. Bears general manager Ryan Poles left the door open on that possibility when speaking with reporters after the draft, and with roughly $30 million in cap space still at his disposal, he could pursue the biggest-ticket options still available, such as Yannick Ngakoue, Leonard Floyd or Frank Clark. Even if a vet joining the room didn’t oust Jones, it would be much harder battling for a roster spot as the sixth guy in the rotation as opposed to being the fifth guy as he is now.

Will Trevis Gipson Earn Second Contract With Bears?

Speaking of pass rushers, the Bears are also heading into a pivotal fourth season with Gipson in 2023 as the former fifth-round pick enters the final year of his rookie deal.

Gipson looked like he could be an up-and-coming weapon off the edge for Chicago two seasons ago when he tallied seven sacks, seven tackles for loss and five forced fumbles, but his first year in Matt Eberflus’ new 4-3 defensive scheme saw him take a noticable step backward, finishing with just three sacks despite playing a career-high 641 snaps. With his contract expiring, the soon-to-be-26-year-old needs to have a roar-back year with the Bears in 2023 if he wants any hope of sticking around in Chicago.

Fortunately for Gipson, the opportunity should be there. Walker — who signed a three-year, $21 million contract in March — is expected to fill one of the starting defensive end roles for the Bears defense in 2023, but Gipson is a shoe-in at this point for the other job. The real mystery is whether he will be able to capitalize on the reps given to him, especially with better defensive tackles in place to provide a stronger inside rush. If not, Gipson’s representative could have a tough time opening new contract talks.