Bears latest roster cut proves Ryan Poles third-round curse is still alive as another recent draft pick fails to make the team’s initial 53-man roster
It’s starting to be a trend.
As the Chicago Bears continue to trim down the roster to 53 players by the 4:00pm EST deadline, the latest name to get waived raises some more red flags with general manager Ryan Poles.
Since being named general manager of the Bears in 2022, Poles has had some up and down moments with his draft selections, but the third-round of the draft has been his biggest struggle.
On Tuesday, another recent third-round selection failed to make the 53-man roster, continuing an odd trend that haunts the team’s top executive.
Bears waive DT Zacch Pickens
The writing was on the wall for this move dating back to last season. Third-year defensive lineman Zacch Pickens never quite development the way the Bears hoped after appearing in all 17 games as a rookie during the 2023 season.
Throughout his second season, Pickens dealt with a lingering groin injury and fell down the depth chart throughout the season, and was even a healthy inactive in a few contests late in the season.
Going into Year 3, the Bears made significant additions to the interior of the defensive front by adding veteran Grady Jarrett in free agency and drafting Shemar Turner in the second-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That left Pickens in a tight competition to secure a final roster spot.
Pickens’ main competition was Chris Williams, whom the team added via trade around this time last season. Williams appeared in all 17 games totaling 3.0 sacks for the Bears defense in 2024 and had a strong showing throughout training camp under new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Both Pickens and Williams had a strong preseason with Pickens totaling three pressures and one sack in the opener against the Miami Dolphins but it wasn’t enough to stand out at the position.
Williams wasn’t the only member of the 2023 draft class to get cut from the roster. Soon after, the Bears also waived former fourth-round wide receiver Tyler Scott, who wasn’t able to stand out in a crowded wide receiver position.
Going back to the third-round curse, only one third-round selection remains that was drafted by Poles: OT Kiran Amegadjie. And even Amegadjie is on the roster bubble with the deadline quickly approaching, we’ll see what happens with his roster status.
The other former third-round pick made by Poles was wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. who was waived last season after initially making the 53-man roster.
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Chicago Bears Live Roster Cut Tracker: Latest moves made by Ben Johnson as the team looks to create the initial 53-man roster
Here’s which players have been released so far.
