Revisiting the Bears' 2023 roster cutdown waiver claims

The NFL roster cutdown deadline is just hours away, where over 1,000 NFL players will be on the move and hit the waiver wire. It's going to be a busy time for NFL teams, who will still look to upgrade their initial roster with key waiver claims on players from other organizations.

The waiver claim process isn't new for the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles. During his first offseason, Poles claimed a whopping seven players to bolster the 2022 squad. He was a bit quieter in 2023, claiming just two players while outright signing another. But how did those additions fare? Were they key contributors, or simply bench players?

Here is a brief recap on the Bears' waiver claims from a year ago and how they performed during the 2023 regular season.

DE Khalid Kareem

2023 stats: 1 tackle, 1 pass breakup (1 game)

Chicago was looking for more help on the defensive line and liked what they saw from Khalid Kareem training camp when they practiced and played against the Indianapolis Colts. When he was waived, the Bears jumped on the opportunity to claim him, but he didn't offer much in the regular season.

Kareem was a healthy scratch early on and suffered an injury that required him to go on injured reserve for a number of weeks. His only action came against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. Kareem made a few splash plays for the Bears this preseason, but that failed to earn him a roster spot as he was waived over the weekend.

DB Quindell Johnson

2023 stats: 3 tackles, 1 interception, 1 pass breakup (9 games)

The Bears remained focused on the defensive side of the ball when they claimed safety Quindell Johnson off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams. The undrafted rookie saw action primarily on special teams, though he did nab an interception early in the season against the Kansas City Chiefs. All but one of his defensive snaps came in Week 2 or Week 3.

Johnson was a core special teams player up until Week 11, when he was made inactive for the rest of the season. He came into camp this year battling with players like Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens, but his chances at earning a roster spot were slim. Johnson was waived with eight other players on Monday.

PR Trent Taylor

2023 stats: 23 punt returns, 188 yards, 8.2 yards per return (17 games)

Trent Taylor wasn't actually a waiver claim, so technically he shouldn't be on this list, but for the sake of the exercise, he's allowed to be included since he was brought in at the same time as Kareem and Johnson. Taylor was outright released from the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Bears desperately needed a punt returner who could effectively field the ball and properly judge it. The solution was to sign Taylor to a one-year deal, and he was below average at best.

The 30-year-old specialist was a non-factor on offense (he didn't record a stat) and averaged just 8.2 yards per return, two fewer yards on average than his 2022 output. Taylor also fumbled twice in one game late in the year while fielding punts. The Bears chose not to re-sign him during the offseason, and he returned to the San Francisco 49ers, the team that drafted him back in 2017.

The verdict

Roster cutdowns are a difficult day in the NFL for a large number of players and coaches. Many fans have sympathy for these players, who may never play in the league again. Conversely, fans also get excited about new players who are available and may help the team. The truth is, though, they likely won't make much of an impact—if at all.

Kareem and Johnson were end of the bench players who had minor contributions to the team's success. Even Taylor, who had the most prominent role and was someone not subjected to waivers, wasn't particularly effective in his role. Unless someone like Josh Sitton, who was a Pro Bowl guard from the Green Bay Packers and was scooped up by Chicago in 2016, came available, It's very unlikely anyone claimed will play a major role on the team and the Bears already have a deep roster this year. Adding depth is never a bad thing, but make sure to keep any expectations in check.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Revisiting the Bears' 2023 roster cutdown waiver claims