The Bears usually are not carried out augmenting their defensive position scenario. A day after obtaining edge-rusher Darrell Taylor from the Seahawks, the staff turned to an AFC North depth chart for one more answer up entrance.
Cleveland is sending defensive tackle Chris Williams to Chicago, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns reports. The staff confirmed the report. This can be a pick-swap commerce, with the Bears receiving Williams and a 2025 seventh-rounder and the Browns accumulating a sixth.
This late-August interval has doubled as a commerce window for some time, as groups put together to set their 53-man rosters. The Bears will use it to reunite Williams with Matt Eberflus. The Colts initially signed Williams as a 2020 UDFA, doing so throughout Eberflus’ time as Indianapolis’ DC. This could carry scheme familiarity for the practice-squad veteran, who performed in 13 video games as a Colts backup from 2021-22.
The Bears have now made 5 trades involving veteran gamers this offseason. They obtained Ryan Bates from the Payments, landed Keenan Allen from the Chargers, despatched Justin Fields to the Steelers, dealt for Taylor and have now introduced in D-tackle assist. Williams, who didn’t see regular-season time in 2023, has performed solely 107 profession defensive snaps. The previous UDFA should not be a roster lock for the Bears. However this commerce suggests the staff wished to get forward of the waiver course of to acquire a participant acquainted with Eberflus’ protection.
Williams, 26, signed a reserve/futures cope with the Browns in January however might have been more likely to see an AFC staff reduce him as soon as once more. Williams went to camp with the Chiefs in 2023, failing to make the Tremendous Bowl champions’ 53-man roster earlier than finally touchdown on the Browns’ P-squad to shut out final season.
Williams will be a part of 2023 Day 2 picks Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens at DT, together with veteran Andrew Billings, at DT with Chicago. The staff didn’t draft a D-tackle, as a substitute buying and selling again into this 12 months’s draft for D-end Austin Booker. Williams profiles as a depth piece, however it’s clear the Bears have been dissatisfied with their D-line because the preseason wound down.
