Chicago Bears Waive LB Kuony Deng
Former Cal linebacker Kuony Deng's bid to make the Chicago Bears' roster ended early in the preseason as he was waived by the Bears on Monday.
The Bears let Deng go to make room for linebacker Mykal Walker, who was acquired off waivers after being waived by the Atlanta Falcons.
Deng played in this past weekend's preseason game but did not record any statistics.
Deng might be picked up by another team looking for linebacker depth, but if no one signs him, this would be the second straight year that Deng has been unable to latch on to an NFL roster.
Deng might sign with a practice squad on some NFL team.
Deng signed with the Bears late in the 2022 season after spending much of the year with the Falcons on Atlanta's practice squad.
Deng was not taken in the 2022 NFL draft after spending parts of three seasons at Cal. His final season with the Golden Bears was 2021, when he was limited to a little more than one game after suffering a season-ending injury in the second game.
When he arrived at Cal from Independence Junior College he looked like a pro prospect. Athletic, smart and tall, the 6-foot-5 Deng seemed to have all the ingredients to play at the next level. He began as an inside linebacker at Cal before being moved to the edge, but the injury prevented him from showing what he could as a fulltime outside linebacker.
Cover photo of Kuony Deng by Kelley L Cox, USA TODAY Sports
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