Bears activate one RB, cut another

The Bears activated running back Artavis Pierce from the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

He went on the list last week because he had either tested positive or been near someone who did. An undrafted rookie from Oregon State, Pierce is likely fighting for a practice-squad spot during training camp.

The Bears waived running back Napoleon Maxwell, another undrafted free agent. He ran for 675 yards and nine touchdowns for FIU last year. He was on the outskirts of a position battle that figures to have David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen at the top.

The Bears now have 80 active players on their roster — and two more, tight end Eric Saubert and nose tackle John Jenkins, on the reserve/COVID-19 list. General manager Ryan Pace said Wednesday he wanted to trim down to 80 by Sunday.

The NFL and NFL Players Association agreed to shrink rosters from the traditional 90 players to 80 by Aug. 16 as part of their coronavirus protocols. The move gives teams 10 fewer players to worry about getting infected or infecting others. Teams with more than 80 players need to train in a split-squad fashion the next two weeks.