First & Long: Bears Reshuffle Roster, Jenkins to IR, Bagent Named QB2, Packers Continue to Show Little Faith in Jordan Love

I don’t know how you feel, but to me, the NFL season starts once rosters are finalized, and for that reason, we are switching from Camp Notes to First & Long today. The caveat here is that the Bears are still tinkering with their roster and made several moves today after getting down to 53 players on Tuesday.

Teven Jenkins was placed on short-term IR today, meaning he will miss a minimum of four games. Jenkins has a leg injury that the team has been reluctant to discuss. He injured it during the shared practice sessions with the Colts and was seen on crutches after Chicago’s final preseason game against the Bills. GM Ryan Poles would not clear up the mystery of what happened to Jenkins and when, but said the team feels it’s a “week-to-week thing.” Jenkins is eligible to return October 5, and the Bears will continue to reshuffle the line until then.

The Bears do have a temporary replacement in Dan Feeney, who was acquired from the Dolphins on Monday for a sixth-round draft choice. At least Feeney has experience. The Orland Park native has made 64 career starts in six NFL seasons.

Bears have chosen to keep Rasheem Green over Terrell Lewis.

Stats after 3 Pre-Season Games

Rasheem Green
• 2 assisted tackles

Terrell Lewis
• 4 Solo Tackles
• 3 Sacks
• 1 Forced Fumble

Someone convince me that this was a smart move. 😐

— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) August 30, 2023

The front office made some changes on the defensive line, too. Poles claimed defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson off waivers Wednesday. To clear room on the roster, Chicago waived defensive end Terrell Lewis and safety A.J. Thomas.

Poles also strengthened his special teams by claiming Trent Taylor, who was waived by the Bengals on Tuesday. He will serve as the team’s punt returner and provide depth to the wide receiver group. Taylor, a fifth-round draft choice by San Francisco out of Louisiana Tech, has averaged 9.7 yards per return throughout his five-season career with the 49ers and Bengals.

Taylor is a vested veteran because he has a tenure of four-plus years. That means the Bears are on the hook for his full-season salary if he is still on the team after Week 1.

The Bears began assembling their practice squad, too, finalizing deals with seventh-round draft picks Travis Bell and Kendall Williamson as well as Micah Baskerville, Nsimba Webster, Greg Stroman, Stephen Carlson, Aviante Collins, Robert Burns, Jalen Harris, DeMarquis Gates and Roy Mbaeteka. They still had six practice-squad spots open as of Wednesday evening and remained hopeful to use one on veteran quarterback Nathan Peterman.

Bears News & Notes

• This year was the first time that the NFL went to one official cutdown today, and it was a hectic one for Chicago’s front office. The Bears cut veterans Trevis Gipson and Kindle Vildor, and second-year running back Trestan Ebner was waived with an injury designation.
• Taylor will replace Velus Jones as the primary punt returner. Jones will still return kickoffs, however.
• Tyson Bagent will start the season as the primary backup to QB1 Justin Fields.
• Bagent is an undrafted rookie from D-II Shepherd University who parlayed an excellent preseason into a roster spot.
• Bagent, 23, is the type of underdog story that emerges each August. Jack Sanborn was in the same situation last year and became a starter halfway through the season. Bagent won’t start unless Fields gets injured, however. Sanborn got his break when the Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens last November.
• Bagent found out he was named backup quarterback via text message from Poles. The rookie beat out P.J. Walker, who was released Sunday.
• Poles used Wednesday’s presser to rebut a few trade rumors surrounding a couple of Chicago players. The second-year GM said Darnell Mooney was never shopped and that Gipson never asked to be traded.
• The Bears allowed Gipson to seek a trade, and when none materialized, they released him. He cleared waivers and is free to sign with any team as a member of the active roster or practice squad.
• The executive was also asked what type of improvement he would like to see in Fields. His response: “Win more games.”
• Matt Eberflus said Jenkins is the only starter who will not play against the Packers on September 10.
• Sheil Kapadia of The Ringer believes the Bears still have a bottom-five NFL defense. He doesn’t think much of the Packers, Lions, or Vikings, either. Kapadia wrote that Chicago still lacks a competent pass rush.
• I find it odd that the Lions and Packers are ranked among the top 10 NFL offenses, but the Bears and Vikings are not. The Bears had a score-at-will offense when Fields was healthy last season, and the Vikings will go to battle with Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, and Jordan Addison. Perhaps the writer feels the losses of Dalvin Cook and David Montgomery will hurt Minnesota and Chicago respectively.
• The news isn’t all that bad though. CBS Sports ranks the Bears fourth among eight last-place teams with an opportunity to go from worst to first.
• If you’re already draft pick watching, one analyst writes that the Bears will finish 6-11 and the Panthers will finish 7-10.
• Jay Cutler is reuniting with Brandon Marshall, but this time as a studio analyst. Cutler is joining Inside the NFL, which now airs on the CW Network.

There’s a Flag…On the Play

Armchair coaches everywhere should buy this man a shot and a beer.

#Chiefs HC Andy Reid says he was once approached by a janitor who had a cool play concept for him to use.

Reid listened, liked the idea, incorporated it into a game, and it resulted in a TD.

Reid: “We take plays from anywhere.” 😂

(via @greenlight) pic.twitter.com/dWo37FuQre

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 31, 2023

Scout Team

• The Bears could regain the edge in their rivalry with the Packers now that Aaron Rodgers is playing for the Jets.
• Packers reporter Peter Bukowski said the team had had enough of Rodgers and was ready to move on.
• Green Bay and Indianapolis engaged in trade talks for Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, though a deal could not be reached.
• Packers GM Brian Gutekunst, who had a press conference scheduled Wednesday, answered questions about the team’s alleged interest in Taylor
• Green Bay’s lack of faith in quarterback Jordan Love is “disturbing” according to Michael Lingard of FOX Sports.
• The Packers released veteran punter and former Bear Pat O’Donnell on Tuesday. Rookie Daniel Whalen will take his place.

Film Room

Love’s preseason stats: 21-of-33 for 193 yards with three TDs and no interceptions.

Fields: 5-of-9 for 180 yards with two scores and no interceptions.

Top-10 defense? Top-10 RB?

Will Jordan Love help lead the Packers to the playoffs? 🤔🤷‍♂️ #Packers #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/Cnl0HPx1hL

— GBP Daily – Rob Westerman lll (@GBPdaily) August 30, 2023

Northern Exposure

• Minnesota (13-4): The Vikings will have a tough time matching last year’s record. Detroit and Chicago have improved, but let’s not forget Minnesota finished with a -3 point differential.
• Detroit (9-8): The Lions were not awarded any waiver claims, but lost cornerback Starling Thomas V to the Cardinals.
• Green Bay (8-9): The Packers are currently listed as 2.5-point underdogs to the Bears, with most analysts indicating you should take Chicago and give up the points.
• Chicago (3-14): The Bears have been tabbed as one of the NFL’s most improved teams.

NFL News & Notes

Here are the final roster updates for all 32 NFL teams, if you’re interested.

If you’d rather have a condensed version, Pro Football Focus listed the most notable cut by every team.

Jaguars head coach Doug Peterson had the unenviable job of cutting his son, but at least he signed him to the team’s practice squad.

Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is reportedly on a “very short leash” this season.

The NFL has adopted two minor rule changes for the 2023 season.

The Cowboys remain at the top of all NFL franchises for 2023 with a record valuation of $9 billion. The Bears are ranked No. 5 at $6.3 billion.

Three Yards & a Cloud of Dust

1. Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle averaged 8.2 yards after the catch in the last eight weeks of the 2022 regular season, the best among 65 qualified NFL receivers. D.J. Moore will give him a run for his money this season.
2. The Steelers have not had a top-five draft pick since 1970, when they selected Terry Bradshaw.
3. The Bears are 9-14 in Week 1 games since 2000, while the Packers are 14-9.

Fantasy Projections (per ESPN) – Justin Fields

Fields is entering his third NFL season after an up-and-down 2022 campaign that included some major highs (top-seven fantasy scorer in eight straight games) and some concerning lows (60% completion rate, as well as an NFL-high 55 sacks and 16 fumbles in 15 games). He  was unsurprisingly a major factor as a rusher, as he led all QBs in rushing yards (1,143), yards per carry (7.1) and scrambles (67) to go along with eight rush TDs. Fields is still on the ascent at age 24 and his supporting cast will be much better this season with Moore joining Mooney, Cole Kmet, and Chase Claypool. Fields’ legs make him a solid QB1 target, but he’s a candidate for a full-on breakout.

From the Podium

• “Never thought about or had any conversations about trading Mooney. Trevis never came [into] my office and said that he wanted to be traded. So, I just want to make that clear. In terms of Gipson, love that kid. It was more of a fit thing, scheme fit. His success came in a different scheme. We had a great conversation [Tuesday]. I’m excited to see where he goes and what he does.” – Poles
• “[Feeney] is a great guy. [He loves] football, [and] loves beer.” – Justin Jones
• “I can confirm the latter, for sure.” – Kmet
• “Ryan [Poles] texted me just telling me congratulations, be an asset to Justin, stay focused, stay ready because you know the season’s so long. Once again you never know what could happen, so that’s kind of what my goal is. Just be an asset to the team, help in any way that I can, and just be ready for any situation.” – Bagent