The Chicago Bears trimmed their roster to 53 players on Tuesday, and now it’s almost time for them to start building their 16-man practice squad and potentially make some changes to their roster.
While the Bears have released a handful of players, so has the rest of the NFL, meaning there are plenty of players on the waivers list that could be of interest to the Bears, particularly at kickoff/punt returner and offensive line.
But teams can’t just go out and sign any player they want. They have to hope that another team ahead of them in the waiver order doesn’t want that player. But Chicago finished first in the waiver order, so they can afford to pick any player they want.
The deadline to submit waivers is Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT. Those waivers will be announced an hour later and then teams can begin assembling their practice squads.
Here is the order of the waiver priority list, which is the same order as in the 2024 draft:
Waiver of transfer order
- Carolina Panthers
- Washington Commanders
- New England Patriots
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New York Giants
- Tennessee Titans
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears
- New York Jets
- Minnesota Vikings
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- New Orleans Saints
- Indianapolis Colts
- The Seattle Seahawks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Miami Dolphins
- Philadelphia Eagles
- The Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Green Bay Packers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Houston Texans
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
- Baltimore Ravens
- San Francisco 49ers
- Kansas City Chiefs
How do waiver claims work?
With 32 NFL teams trimming their rosters from 90 to 53 players, many players will hit the open market, including some that could be of interest to other rosters. But teams can’t just go out and sign any player. They have to hope that another team ahead of them in the waiver order doesn’t want that player, too.
Where do the Bears stand on the waiver wire?
The waiver order is reflected in the 2024 draft order, meaning the Bears are ninth in the waiver order and have a good chance of signing some of their top potential targets.
When is the deadline for the waiver request?
The deadline to apply for the exemption is Wednesday, August 28, at 11 a.m. CT. Applications for exemptions will be announced an hour later, and then teams can begin assembling their practice squads.
