The Bears made a couple of telling roster moves on Monday, bringing in Ray-Ray McCloud, a roster decision that saw them move on from another player with ties to Caleb Williams in a corresponding move.
McCloud is a journeyman, with the Bears his seventh team since he entered the league as a sixth-round pick with the Buffalo Bills.
A wide receiver by trade, he has additional value amid injuries at the position.
Bears Add Ray-Ray McCloud in Latest Roster Shake-Up
Ray-Ray McCloud Joins Bears
“The #Bears have signed WR Ray-Ray McCloud III,” the team announced in a post on X on August 10.
McCloud, 29, was the 187th overall pick of the 2018 draft.
He began his career with the Bills, but he has also had stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, and San Francisco 49ers during his career.
On the smaller side at 5-foot-9, McCloud has 159 receptions for 1,523 yards and 2 touchdowns in his career so far. He has also carried the ball 25 times for 271 yards and 1 TD.
However, McCloud has 4,216 yards combined on punt and kick returns in his career.
Bears Set to Part Ways With Caleb Williams’ Former USC Teammate
In addition to signing McCloud, the Bears also announced that they “waived WR Kyron Hudson with an Injury designation.”
Hudson was a teammate of Williams’ during the 2022–when the now-Bears QB won the Heisman Trophy–and 2023 seasons. He is one of three Bears wide receivers who are injured or banged up, joining Luther Burden III and Zavion Thomas.
Hudson will now go through the waiver process.
If he goes unclaimed, he will revert to the Bears’ injured reserve. From there, they can officially release him, pending an injury settlement.
Hudson would then be free to sign with any team. If he wants to return to the Bears, though, he would need to wait for the duration of their settlement agreement plus an additional three weeks, per NFL rules.
