Bears Cut Struggling RB, Sign ‘Freak’ Rookie DT to Replace Him

Getty New Bears rookie defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings.

The Chicago Bears have moved on from former Cleveland Browns running back Demetric Felton and have signed a rookie defensive tackle featured on Bruce Feldman’s 2023 college football Freaks List for The Athletic to take his place.

According to the team’s official transaction wire for August 11, the Bears waived Felton on Sunday following a disappointing preseason performance against the Buffalo Bills one day earlier in which he lost one yard on his only carry. Felton had been vying for a spot in the running back rotation since the team originally brought him in on July 28.

The Bears also signed former Texas Tech defensive tackle Jaylon Hutchings to their 90-man roster in a corresponding roster move. The six-foot, 305-pound Hutchings logged 3.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and 44 total tackles for the Red Raiders in 2023 and ended up as one of the program’s most experienced players of all time with 57 career starts.

Hutchings also earned recognition on Feldman’s annual Freaks List in 2023, which spotlights players whose “athleticism blew the minds of folks inside their own college football programs.” Hutchings ranked 63rd on the 101-player list with Feldman noting that he can bench 500 pounds, squat 700 pounds and run as fast as 18 miles per hour.

“He’s really light on his feet and plays extremely hard,” Tech defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter told Feldman for his August 15, 2023, article. “He can burst and go and moves well enough where he could probably play some goal-line fullback in some packages at the next level.”

The Bears will have eyes first and foremost for Hutchings’ ability to compete for an interior defensive line spot on their roster, but offensive coordinator Shane Waldron could also potentially test Feldman’s fullback suggestion in the coming weeks of camp.

Can Jaylon Hutchings Push for Bears’ 53-Man Roster?

Hutchings’ freakish athleticism makes him an intriguing addition for the Bears. While Gervon Dexter Sr. seems to have taken a step forward and Zacch Pickens showed signs of progress with a sack in the preseason win over the Bills, Chicago is still trying to figure out its interior defensive line depth and should benefit from having another strong rookie in the mix alongside Keith Randolph Jr. to push for a job.

How good are Hutchings chances of making the 53-man roster, though?

Hutchings earned praise for his dominant season at Texas Tech in 2022. Not only did Feldman pick him for the Freaks List, but Pro Football Focus also included him among their top-10 returning interior defensive linemen ahead of the 2023 season after he graded out nicely both as a run defender (85.0) and overall (84.0) the previous year.

Hutchings lived up to the hype in 2023, too, notching career-highs in sacks and tackles for loss. Unfortunately for him, he also tore his meniscus in November, which forced him to undergo arthroscopic surgery and miss the final two games of the season. His injury and subsequent recovery also contributed to him going undrafted in the spring.

On the bright side, the slate is now clean for Hutchings. NFL insider Aaron Wilson has reported that he is “fully healthy” after months of recovery, and the Bears must feel the same considering they signed him after a successful workout over the weekend. Now, the burden falls on him to prove his injury will not hamper his athletic tools and to make the most of his first NFL opportunity over the final two weeks of training camp.

Bears Also Worked Out 3 Veteran Defensive Linemen

The Bears signed Hutchings after his weekend workout with the team, but Wilson also noted that three other veteran defensive linemen tried out for the roster in Chicago.

According to the NFL’s official transaction wire, the Bears also worked out defensive tackle Daniel Wise and defensive ends Marquise Copeland and Joe Gaziano. None of the other three signed with the Bears; though, the team’s interest in evaluating some of the available talent on the market does suggest they are still looking for line help.

The Bears have been rumored to have an interest in signing another edge rusher since before the start of camp. Rookie Austin Booker has helped quiet some of those rumors with his strong preseason play — which includes a 2.5-sack day against Buffalo — but free agent signing Jacob Martin has missed recent camp practices with an injury and could force the team to add more depth, even if they only provide more camp bodies.

The Bears could also take a bigger swing. Both Yannick Ngakoue and Carl Lawson are still available and could offer heavier-hitting veteran depth options if the Bears believe Martin’s chances of making the roster are slimming. Don’t rule out Chicago adding one of their workout players in the upcoming weeks, though, if they need an injury bandaid.