Bears should capitalize on another team’s mistake by adding a physical RB off the waiver wire to address a big need before final cuts
Opportunity to poach a key player.
Cutdown day is a tough time for all teams around the league forced to make some difficult decisions, but it’s also a big opportunity time for strategic general managers who keep an eye on other rosters around the league.
For the Chicago Bears, some recently released or waived players could make some sense in adding to the roster amid all the cuts taking place at Halas Hall.
It’s something general manager Ryan Poles has had mixed success with. Since Poles became the Bears general manager in 2022, he’s made nine waiver claims alone on cutdown day with Josh Blackwell being only notable gem found in the chaos, but you can’t fault Poles for trying.
And it’s not even waiver claims. Poles has also made some trades ahead of the deadline such as the two last year to land Darrell Taylor and Chris Williams to fill some last-minute roster needs.
It pays off to have a keen eye this time of year and now he has head coach Ben Johnson to help with the hunt. With that being said, the ideal player just became available the Bears should look into before constructing the initial 53-man roster.
Bears should seriously consider adding RB Audric Estime
Moving on from a second-year former draft pick is always a tough decision to make and now we’ve seen Sean Payton do it twice in a matter of days with the Denver Broncos.
The team’s decision to waive Audric Estime wasn’t too surprising considering the team was looking for a potential trade partner before officially parting ways with the young, physical back. To get more insight into the decision, I spoke with A to Z Sports Denver beat writer Adam Zientek.
“It was clear that the one-two punch of RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins would be leading the backfield heading into 2025. Audric Estime was an unfortunate result of the team having an incredibly deep roster at the position. Behind Dobbins and Harvey are Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin, who were also fighting for that No. 3 running back position. During the 2025 preseason, Estime had 16 carries for 66 yards and one touchdown, adding two receptions for 28 yards as a pass-catcher. The 2024 fifth-round pick will surely find a new home, as there are plenty of teams across the NFL who could use his services. A surprising inactive status against the Buffalo Bills in the 2025 playoffs seemed like writing on the wall. His rookie year concluded with 310 yards on the ground with two touchdowns while adding five receptions for 27 yards.” – A to Z Sports’ Adam Zientek
Estime is absolutely the kind of player the Bears should be interested amid all the injuries at the RB position. After cutting Ian Wheeler and Royce Freeman on Monday, the Bears only had two healthy running backs at practice in D’Andre Swift and Brittain Brown.
Prior to practice, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle spoke about the issue and how the team is having to explore putting players from other positions in the backfield to make up for the lack of depth.
Roschon Johnson has been the noticeable absence after missing all three preseason games due to a foot injury suffered on August 7th. If the injury continues to linger, Johnson could be a short-term IR candidate and then using that spot to add a new power back in Estime makes perfect sense.
The Bears have also been without seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai, although it sounds like his injury isn’t too serious and he’ll be back on the field soon. Going into the season with a backfield comprised of Swift, Monangai, and Estime would give the offense three different style backs who complement each other really well.
It’s worth looking into. Chicago currently is 10th in the waiver order and would need nine other teams to pass on Estime in order to potentially claim him.
Chicago Bears News
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.
