Chicago Bears release former Chiefs DL Jaye Howard

Defensive lineman Jaye Howard has been released unexpectedly twice this offseason, first with the Chiefs and now with the Bears.

Earlier this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs released defensive lineman Jaye Howard in a surprising move that caught everyone off guard. Now Howard has reportedly been released once again by the Chicago Bears, making it the second time Howard’s been unexpectedly released in a matter of months.

The Chiefs cut Howard just one year into a two-year deal, even though the veteran was expected to help anchor a line with lots of questions. The Chiefs were dealing with the loss of Dontari Poe and the hopeful return from injury for both Howard and Allen Bailey. Howard’s hip injury was a serious concern, and the presence of promising young players like Tanoh Kpassagnon, this year’s second round choice, Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Chris Jones all made Howard a luxury that the Chiefs didn’t need to keep around.

The Bears jumped on Howard and were expected to reap the dividends, given that Howard has a good reputation as a solid, versatile performer who is especially strong against the run. That said, Howard has also proven capable of notching a few sacks over the course of a season as well, as he had 5.5 sacks in 14 starts just two seasons ago.

Clearly Howard’s ongoing hip injury played into things, but it’s interesting to see the Bears not place him on the PUP list or some other designation to keep him around. The Bears apparently have enough depth and youth of their own moving forward, or maybe they’re cutting him to re-sign him to a non-guaranteed deal after the first week.