Bears make several roster moves |
Dustin Riese
· · 11 hours ago
Although NFL Training Camp has yet to get fully underway, it hasn't stopped teams from continuing to add to their roster as they want as many camp bodies as possible. That remains the case for the Chicago Bears as they added two new faces to the Dennis Allen Defense, including one who is highly familiar with him from a previous stop.
Added to the roster are DB Tre Flowers and veteran defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon as they will look to make a lasting impression in camp. Leaving camp as part of their additions are defensive back Alex Cook and defensive lineman Jereme Robinson, as both were placed on the Waiver market. Robinson is a name to watch, as the Bears showed a strong interest in him this spring. If he remains unsigned toward the end of camp, a scenario could emerge where he is brought back to the practice squad. Starting with Kpassagnon, not only is he familiar with Ryan Poles from a previous stop, but he is also extremely familiar with Allen, having played the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Kpassagnon also had run-ins with Poles during his time with the Chiefs, as he was the Chiefs' second-round pick (No. 59) in the 2017 NFL draft, before arriving in New Orleans a few years later. When you look at his career thus far, Kpassagnon has played in 104 games (making 34 starts), including 61 games (24 starts) with the Chiefs, where he won a Super Bowl ring. He has collected 16.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and 42 quarterback hits in his eight-year career. Although that may not seem like starter production, it's more than enough to be a reliable backup for a team that needs more defensive bodies. Kpassagnon will join Dayo Odeyingbo, Grady Jarrett, and Shemar Turner as the new faces on the defensive line as the Bears try to incorporate more of a pass rush than they have shown the past few seasons. This could go down as a sneaky late-summer pick up as his familiarity with the Allen scheme could give him the nod over several other roster fringe players and could lead to some early playing time off the bench.
The other addition came from the defensive backfield where the 30-year-old Flowers is going to try his luck. Initially drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, Flowers has primarily played cornerback, but has also seen time at safety while playing for the Cincinnati Bengals (2021-22), Atlanta Falcons (2023), Jacksonville Jaguars (2024), and Indianapolis Colts (2024).
Any time you play five times in the span of seven seasons, there are some concerns about how good of a player you are, but Flowers has been a reliable piece no matter what role he is given. Across his NFL career, Flowers has four interceptions, 22 passes defended, two sacks, 287 total tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and two quarterback hits to his name. That is a well-decorated stat line as he has shown the ability to be productive across the board.
He also has 44 starts under his belt, but hasn't been a primary starter since the 2019 season, so it has been a long time since he has seen regular reps on the field. Given how loaded the Bears' cornerback room is from top to bottom, it will be interesting to see where Flowers fits into that mix, but expect him to at the very least challenge Rookie Zah Frazier for one of the final roster spots.
As is the case every summer, injuries are part of the game for the NFL, and we have seen several teams endure their share of Training camp injuries the past few seasons. The Bears know all about that firsthand, so to avoid too many missing pieces, they are doing a great job of adding more organizational depth across the board. These two additions are a prime example of that and are a clear indication that the Bears won't give up until they feel their roster is complete.
