Chicago Bears cut ties with former third-round pick

There's no other way to put it: Pickens has been one of Poles' worst draft picks and qualifies as a third-round bust.

The former South Carolina standout appeared in 26 games with three starts over the last two years, managing just 1.5 sacks and 39 tackles during that span.

Pickens was hampered by injury in 2024, and with Jarrett and second-round pick Shemar Turner joining the defensive tackle rotation, there was no reason for the Bears to work on developing Pickens any further.

While this decision isn't much of a surprise, it still stings. Missing on third-round picks eventually come back to haunt a team's long-term rebuilding effort, and Pickens was certainly as big of a miss as they come.