Bears waive former second-round pick Ego Ferguson

Ego Ferguson, who three years ago was heralded as the Bears’ second-round draft pick, was waived Friday.

Parting ways with the defensive lineman was no surprise. He was waived with an injury designation at the end of training camp last year because of a shoulder problem. He cleared waivers, was put on injured reserve and stayed with the team.

Ferguson served a four-game suspension in 2015 for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug ban.

Ferguson was part of former general manager Phil Emery’s final draft class. But when GM Ryan Pace and coach John Fox installed the 3-4 defense, he was considered a poor fit for the scheme.

The LSU alum recorded two sacks and 36 tackles with the Bears.

Only six players remain from the previous regime.

Gase on Sims

At the NFL owners meetings this week, Dolphins coach Adam Gase said tight end Dion Sims, who signed a three-year deal, has improved his pass-catching skills to match his stout run blocking.

“He made some big plays for us in some critical situations,” Gase said. “The one that always runs in my mind is, the first time we played New England, we had a big third down and [quarterback] Ryan [Tannehill] threw him a high ball outside his range. Basically high and outside. And he went up and got it.

“It’s one of his skill sets that I don’t think a lot of people realize he’s actually pretty good at.”

Demps a ‘good team guy’

Similarly, Texans coach Bill O’Brien praised safety Quintin Demps, who signed a three-year contract.

“Quintin is kinda how I describe [Texans running back] Lamar Miller — he’s a pro’s pro,” O’Brien said. “He showed up everyday with a great attitude, was always out at practice. He’s not a rookie anymore …. I know his body didn’t always feel good. But he was out there taking his reps in practice, showing up early, watching extra tape.”

Demps had six interceptions last year, and the Bears had only 11 takeaways.

“Good tackler,” O’Brien said. “If we asked him to help us on special teams, he would help us on special teams. Good team guy. He’s a good pro.

“Hopefully a lot of our young players learned a lot from him from watching him operate on a day-to-day basis.”

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Email: pfinley@suntimes.com