09-03-2022, 11:46 AM
It's more than a little troubling that a week before Green Bay we still don't know who our starting DE is. It's not a hugely important position in a 3-4, but still...whoever it is, it's likely a downgrade from Watts. Still no clue why he was released.
But the Bears sure are happy...
Bears Were Reportedly Stunned Armon Watts Became AvailableThis year, the Chicago Bears held a high spot in the waiver wire priority list. It was something GM Ryan Poles knew he could take advantage of. So he and the scouting department got to work evaluating other teams’ rosters. They watched lots of tape, recognizing where certain teams were deep and which players might get cut. Then they put together a board of talent they would like if the opportunity came up during final cuts. Armon Watts was not on that board.
They dug into Watts’ tape to see if they’d missed something. When they realized they hadn’t, excitement began to build. After consulting with Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff, everybody agreed they had to make a waiver claim. Barely 24 hours later, Watts was a Bear.
But the Bears sure are happy...
Bears Were Reportedly Stunned Armon Watts Became AvailableThis year, the Chicago Bears held a high spot in the waiver wire priority list. It was something GM Ryan Poles knew he could take advantage of. So he and the scouting department got to work evaluating other teams’ rosters. They watched lots of tape, recognizing where certain teams were deep and which players might get cut. Then they put together a board of talent they would like if the opportunity came up during final cuts. Armon Watts was not on that board.
There was no reason to think he should be. The veteran defensive tackle had five sacks and 33 pressures last season. Teams don’t give up strong interior pass rushers like that. The preseason validated this thought process as he finished with a sack and a hit on the quarterback in 18 pass rush snaps. Then the Minnesota Vikings cut him. Poles admitted on the Hoge & Jahns podcast that he and the rest of the Bears scouting department were stunned.
They dug into Watts’ tape to see if they’d missed something. When they realized they hadn’t, excitement began to build. After consulting with Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff, everybody agreed they had to make a waiver claim. Barely 24 hours later, Watts was a Bear.
