Final Cuts and Roster Moves

Friday September 2, started the final round of cuts and roster moves for the Bears which brings their roster down to the season required 53 men. On Friday, it was reported that the Bears cut 14 players, which included key names such as Chester Taylor, Desmond Clark and Marcus Harrison. None of the final cuts made were any big surprise and the each of the three that were cut made logical sense. Chester Taylor has been horrible since the Bears signed him last year during free agency. He had a horrible season last years with a NFL record low of 2.4 yard per carry. Taylor's time as a Bear never seemed to be very productive and his style as a complimentary back to Matt Forte just didn't work. His running style was too much like Forte's to be considered a "change of pace" so defenses did not have to game plan any differently for him. As for Desmond Clark being cut, I figure it occurred for a few reasons. First off, since he is considered a "veteran" in the league, if he made an opening day roster, he was guaranteed money for the entire season. This may be a key reason why the Bears cut him. They would save $810,000 and could potentially bring him back later in the season. The other reason I believe the Bears cut him was because of health. He had a nasty knee injury in the third preseason game and keeping him on the roster while injured held back rookies such as Kyle Adams. I strongly believe that the Bears will bring Clark back during the season once he is healthy and contribute on a week to week basis. As for Marcus Harrison, it seemed that he never took playing in the NFL seriously. He had the raw talent and skill to play, but could never put a routine together in the off season that could keep him in shape. Year in and year out, he would show up to came overweight and out of shape and I believe the Bear's simply got sick of dealing with it. I would not be surprised if Harrison gets pick up by another team, simply because he has the talent and size to play in the league.
The Bears also made new on September 4th, when they signed two-time pro bowler Brandon Meriweather. For the Bear's, this is another low risk, high reward signing. Meriweather is in the prime of his career with him only being 27 years old and suddenly makes the Bear's secondary one of the deepest positions on the team. Meriweather has always been highly praised around the league for his talent, and was highly regarded coming out of the University of Miami. In his last three seasons he has showed incredible skill and talent with intercepting 12 passes, causing four fumbles and 20+ pass breakups. The kid has obvious talent, skill and athleticism, which has been lacking from the position for the last few seasons. His addition also gives the Bears a solid backup if either starter gets injured during the season. I would look for Meriweather to make a strong push during the middle of the season for a starting position, which will force second year’s starter Major Wright to be on the top of his game. As a Bear's fan, this signing shows me the Bear are serious about competing and it makes me happy to know they are willing to do whatever it takes to do so. Things around town are really starting to pick up and the chatter about the Bears is also starting to buzz, with kick off being only 6 days away! So until next time Bears fans, Bear Down!