Tight end Khari Lee’s first day in a Bears uniform was spent primarily as a spectator. Acquired from the Texans on Wednesday, Lee didn’t play until the fourth quarter against the Bengals on Thursday and then only saw five snaps.
But Lee, an undrafted rookie from Bowie State, already has impressed the Bears brass. They gave up a sixth-round pick in 2017 to get him.
“I’m going to try to get my head in the playbook and get ready to go Week 1,” Lee said at Soldier Field. “[General manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox] said they’re ready to see me work and ready to see what I can do. They think I can bring a lot to this ball club. I’m anxious to get after it.”
The Bears are apparently counting on it. Roster moves weren’t announced on Friday, but veteran tight ends Dante Rosario and Bear Pascoe were informed that they will be released, league sources confirmed. That would leave Lee behind Martellus Bennett and Zach Miller.
“[Lee’s] in-line blocking is pretty effective,” Fox said. “We took some good looks at him. Our scouting department liked him. Our coaching staff looked at him.”
Lee, who is 6-4 and 235 pounds, said he brings versatility.
“I know my blocking stood out on film to a lot of people,” Lee said. “But it’s also my ability to do a lot of different things, whether it’s making plays out of the backfield, making plays down the field or just blocking at the line of scrimmage.”
Lee went viral during the preseason when his impersonation of Texans coach Bill O’Brien was featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”
“Anytime you have cameras in your face 24-7, it’s going to be different,” Lee said. “You see yourself on TV every week. But it was a good experience.”
Can he imitate Fox yet?
“No. No. No,” he said. “Not quite.”
Perry on the mend
Reserve running back/special-teamer Senorise Perry said he will be meeting with doctors soon too determine if surgery is needed on the injured ligaments in his left foot and ankle.
Perry, who was injured against the Bengals, was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.
“It was hard to take – a hard pill to swallow,” said Perry, who led the Bears in special-teams tackles last season. “I worked so hard. I had more confidence in my returning skills, too, despite last year’s disappointment that I had in the beginning.
“But when a coaching staff actually wants you here and puts you on injured reserve, that shows a lot.”
Other moves
The Bears will announce their roster cuts on Saturday, but some additional moves are known.
Outside linebacker Kyle Woestmann, wide receiver Rashad Lawrence and cornerback Qumain Black are among the players who will be waived, multiple sources said.
Contributing: Patrick Finley
Follow me on Twitter @adamjahns
Email: ajahns@suntimes.com
