Just a day after he made the Chicago Bears‘ 53-man roster, wide receiver Rodney Adams has been waived.
The feel-good story of the offseason for the Bears, Adams hadn’t been added to the active roster of an NFL team since 2017, when he was with the Minnesota Vikings. He had a standout training camp and preseason, developing a solid chemistry with both Bears quarterbacks, Andy Dalton and Justin Fields while leading the team in receiving.
The 27-year-old wideout 10 catches for 161 yards and a touchdown through three preseason games, and when the team cut former draft picks Javon Wims and Riley Ridley along with rookie wideout Dazz Newsome, Adams’ spot on the roster felt like a lock. But the Bears added one receiver on September 1 and are set to sign another. Chicago is going to sign former Baltimore Ravens first-round wide receiver Breshad Perriman, per Adam Schefter. The Bears also added likely punt returner Nsimba Webster via the waiver wire, which didn’t leave room for Adams.
Chicago also re-signed defensive backs Marqui Christian and Artie Burns after releasing both yesterday, the team announced.
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Adams Became Fan Favorite in Recent Months
A fifth-round draft pick by the Vikings in 2017, Adams spent his rookie season on Minnesota’s practice squad. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, but was placed on the reserve/retired list that year. He was reinstated in January of 2020, but the Colts waived him before the regular season began. Chicago picked him up, and he spent the 2020 season on the Bears’ practice squad, which is where he’ll likely find himself again after a preseason full of entertaining moments.
He caught a memorable 73-yard touchdown from Dalton in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. He celebrated in the end zone by cradling the football like a baby, and he revealed after the game his wife, Madison, gave birth to a baby girl the night before. He played the game after getting approximately five hours of sleep and still delivered an amazing performance.
Adams made impressive grabs in other games, as well:
What a catch Rodney Adams!
“For guys who won’t see that much playing time, it’s important to just show what you can do,” Adams said on August 25. “Show your abilities. Even if it’s like a small thing, like a hitch, show how good you can run that hitch and get open. Some people they aren’t going to make it. I say don’t get down because there’s 32 teams, there’s more leagues out there you can go to. Just keep fighting. If you keep fighting, something’s going to work out.”
If he clears waivers, he’s a shoo-in for the practice squad again.
“He’s a really humble kid,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said about Adams on August 25. “He’s very appreciative of this opportunity. … To Rodney’s credit, he’s taken advantage of it and he’s had now back-to-back games, two phenomenal catches — special catches. You root for guys like that. He’s obviously, too, going through some things and just having a baby and not sleeping much. It just shows his resiliency but I like where he’s at.”
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Burns & Christian Return to Add Depth to Secondary
The Bears also re-signed Christian and Burns a day after both were released on August 31. Burns is back on a one-year deal, per Patrick Finley of The Chicago Sun-Times. He signed a one-year contract with Chicago last year, but saw his season end in August of 2020 after he tore his ACL.
Christian was signed to the Bears’ practice squad last season, but he was poached by the New York Jets. He wound up playing in one game for New York before he was released and re-signed to the Bears’ PS again. Now, he’s been added to Chicago’s active roster for the first time.
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Bears Waive Preseason Standout, Re-Sign 2 DBs