The Bears cut defensive lineman Jeremiah (Jay) Ratliff on Thursday; a day after the defensive lineman was involved in multiple heated exchanges at Halas Hall. This move was somewhat of a surprise as the coaching staff highly regarded Ratliff as a player. They even named him as one of the center pieces of the defense in the offseason. Apparently Bears officials judged that Ratliff was not in a condition to work on Wednesday. When he was asked to leave, a heated argument ensued. He then came back to the facility twice more and had another altercation with GM, Ryan Pace. The Lake Forest police department were called onto the scene as a precaution after the incident seemed to die down. Pace and the Bears released Ratliff the following day. They replaced him by signing Ziggy Hood.

Fantasy Impact

This is shocking. Ratliff had a great season in 2014. He was poised to have a good year this year and even have some fantasy value. However, his three game suspension eliminated any fantasy draft value Ratliff may have had in IDP leagues. His fantasy value dropped even more as rookie Eddie Goldman has shown he can anchor the defensive line. This move has no immediate impact in fantasy. It will be interesting if Ratliff finds a team quickly though. If he lands on the right team, he may add fantasy value to the DE playing next to him.