{"id":187152,"date":"2024-08-27T16:05:31","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T20:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=187152"},"modified":"2024-08-27T16:05:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T20:05:31","slug":"bears-could-land-several-intriguing-cut-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/27\/bears-could-land-several-intriguing-cut-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"Bears Could Land Several Intriguing Cut Targets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bears\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Chicago Bears<\/a> wrapped up their preseason on Thursday, giving them additional time to finalize decisions for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/23\/chicago-bears-53-man-roster-practice-squad-projections\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">53-man roster.<\/a> With some holes that need to be addressed on the roster, the Bears may look elsewhere for potential cut targets. Whether it&#8217;s experienced veterans or young players seeking a fresh start, plenty of talent will be available on the open market. Here are a few intriguing candidates the Bears could consider adding to the roster.<\/p>\n<h2>Bears Could Land Several Intriguing Cut Targets<\/h2>\n<h3>D&#8217;Wayne Eskridge, Return Specialist<\/h3>\n<p>The Bears desperately need a return specialist. With poor performances from several players during the preseason, it&#8217;s crucial to add a reliable return man. Bleacher Report&#8217;s Jordan Schultz reported that the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/seahawks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Seattle Seahawks<\/a> cut ties with former second-round pick D&#8217;Wayne Eskridge. Eskridge can give the Bears an added edge on offense as a gadget guy and as a return man on special teams. The speedy receiver is already familiar with Bears&#8217; Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron and could play a crucial role in Chicago. Eskridge should be the top player on General Manager Ryan Poles&#8217; list of cut targets.<\/p>\n<h3>Ricky Stromberg, Center<\/h3>\n<p>NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Washington Commanders<\/a> are expected to waive 2023 third-round pick Ricky Stromberg. For many Bears fans who had hoped for Stromberg in last year\u2019s draft, he could be an under-the-radar addition to address the team&#8217;s recent struggles at center. As a young player with potential, Stromberg could develop into a long-term solution at center.\u00a0 Newly acquired interior lineman Ryan Bates will be the presumed backup at center but is better as a guard. If the Bears can bring in Stromberg to backup Coleman Shelton, Bates can play at his natural position. A win-win situation for both Stromberg and the Bears.<\/p>\n<h3>Siaki Ika, Defensive Tackle<\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/browns\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Cleveland Browns<\/a> have officially cut their former third-round selection, defensive tackle Siaki Ika. A recent draft pick, Ika is only 23 years old and could fill a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/08\/22\/chicago-bears-exploring-upgrade-at-defensive-tackle\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">massive need at DT for the Bears.<\/a> The Bears have two solid starters at DT in Gervon Dexter Sr. and Andrew Billings, but they have a huge problem with depth. Outside of former third-round pick Zacch Pickens, they need another reliable piece to potentially fill in when needed. Ika was buried in the depth chart in Cleveland and couldn&#8217;t start his career on the right foot. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/03\/31\/siaki-ika-2023-nfl-draft-profile-team-fits\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Once projected to be a first-round pick,<\/a> Ika is athletic for his size and can use his explosiveness to disrupt plays. With the right coaching in Chicago, he can become a solid contributor on defense.<\/p>\n<h3>Jamal Agnew, Return Specialist<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jaguars\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> return specialist Jamal Agnew could be a smart signing for Chicago. A former Pro Bowler and 2017 First-Team All-Pro, Agnew has averaged 10.3 yards per punt return and 25.5 yards per kick return throughout his career. He played in 11 games for the Jaguars last season before a broken leg sidelined him. The Bears can&#8217;t afford to have any roles on the roster, especially at a vital position like return specialist. With NFL Network&#8217;s Mike Garafolo reporting that about <a href=\"https:\/\/nfltraderumors.co\/10-teams-reportedly-interested-in-wr-kr-jamal-agnew\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ten teams are interested in Agnew<\/a>, the Bears must act quickly.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Joe Nicholson &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the NFL roster cut deadline, there are several intriguing players the Chicago Bears could consider to bolster the roster.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4976,"featured_media":187186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,36],"tags":[7403,7966,8758,9930,9620],"class_list":["post-187152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-nfl-news","tag-chicago-bears-news","tag-dwayne-eskridge","tag-jamal-agnew","tag-ricky-stromberg","tag-siaki-ika"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=187152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=187152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=187152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=187152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}