With the 2012 NFL regular season just a couple of weeks away, the part of the season that no one enjoys is upon us. By Monday the Chicago Bears must cut their 88 man roster down to 75, then by next Friday to the final 53 man roster.
Generally in the first wave of cuts you will see a few veterans who will not be kept, allowing them to look for new teams. With this in mind I have compiled a list of three players who fall right within the cross hairs of the cut.
Tyler Clutts, Fullback
I have nothing against Clutts, he plays an unglamorous position to a moderately good level. His run blocking is solid, his special teams play is okay, but coming into camp Clutts even admitted himself that he had one task, to show OC Mike Tice that he had to keep a fullback on this roster.
It was a tough task, and if his lack of participation in last night’s preseason matchup against the New York Giants is anything to go by, then it is extremely likely that Clutts has lost his fight for a place on the 53 man roster.
Corey Wootton, Defensive End
In my view Wootton currently sits 5th on the depth chart. Rookie Shea McClellin and Veteran DE Chauncey Davis have performed much better than Wootton in preseason.
Wootton’s main issues have always been his injury woes and his complete lack of consistency on the field. After another Jekyll and Hyde preseason showing, unless the Bears choose to carry five defensive ends on their final 53 man roster, Wootton could very well be the odd man out.
Rashied Davis, Wide Receiver
Davis was a late addition to the roster after the premature retirement of Devin Thomas. He has been in a straight up fight with Dane Sanzenbacher for the last spot on this roster ever since.
It is no secret that Sanzenbacher has a number of plaudits in the locker room. Most notably Jay Cutler QB has stated on more than one occasion that Sanzenbacher’s play will make it hard for coaches to cut him.
After watching special teams footage as well as time spent by both players at WR, I really feel that Sanzenbacher has this battle tied up. He has contributed in every facet of Special Teams play, as well as running crisper routes on offense.
Davis was always going to have a hard time making this especially coming into the fold as late as he did. Bearing in mind that Sanzenbacher has age on his side, Davis really hasn’t offered up much of a reason for the Bears to keep him around.
Stay tuned for up to the minute roster moves and projections over the coming week.
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