And Then There Was 53: Bears Settle on Roster

GM Phil Emery started the slashing process process early Friday, but a few cuts were still needed a few hours away from the 4PM ET deadline on Saturday. But now that deadline has come and passed, so here is the list of players released/waived in order for the Bears to get down to the 53-man limit.

 

OT J’Marcus Webb

QB Trent Edwards

QB Jordan Palmer

RB Armando Allen

TE Fendi Obobun

S Brandon Hardin

OT Cory Brandon

G Derek Dennis

LB Jerry Franklin

WR Brittan Golden

LS Brandon Hartson

WR Josh Lenz

S Tom Nelson

DT Christian Tupou

FB Harvey Unga

DE Aston Whiteside

DE Josh Williams

LB J.T. Thomas

WR Terrence Tolliver

DT Corey Irvin

 

Reaction Time!

-Emery made up for a mistake by cutting Brandon Hardin, a pick from last year’s draft (Emery’s first). It’s a good sign when your team can recognize a poor investment and move on from it. (As long as that’s not every player you pick. ‘Cuz that’d just be crappy scouting.)

-A lot of people are a little surprised that the Bears cut Jordan Palmer after his positive outing Thursday night. Emery wasn’t going to use a roster spot on a third quarterback, because there’s no gameday value in it. Palmer won’t be a crazy hot commodity, but even if he gets signed Emery will be able to find quality veterans during the year if one is needed.

-Undrafted rookie Michael Ford will be the third running back on the roster, beating out Armando Allen. I don’t think anyone is stunned by this revelation.

-Onobun’s dismissal is good news for tight end Kyle Adams, who can (mostly) rest assured his job is safe. Adams has been inconsistent in his short career, but he’ll get another chance to prove his worth.

-Receiver Terrence Tolliver has a shot of making it onto the practice squad come Monday, but he just wasn’t going to jump ahead of Marquess Daniels or Joe Anderson on the WR depth chart.

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Cutty McCut.

-Obviously, J’Marcus Webb’s release sticks out, being such a destination of fans’ ire over the past two seasons. Webb, in a nutshell, represents the recent struggles and woes of the offensive line.

But for all the lambasting and grilling I’ve done over his tenure with the Bears (and boy have I), everyone should remember that Webb was just a seventh round pick. He was supposed to be a development project to provide depth and maybe eventually start. Throwing him in as the starter at left tackle in his second year was never going to work. Honestly, I’ve seen worse left tackles in my day. Webb’s experience and talent/potential ensure teams with line issues give him a look. (He’s got Oakland Raider written all over him. That team is desperate for offensive linemen.)

Now, this roster is subject to change a little in the next 24-48 hours as Emery searches through the waiver wire. So don’t get too attached to a scrub just yet.

Did anyone you like fail to make the roster? Or are you pretty satisfied with how this team stacks up? Let me know below!