Rod Hood Resurfaces: Chicago Bears Cut Hood Days After Signing Him

That's enough cuts in a short enough amount of time to wonder if Roderick Hood is a Porsche 914: A good name masking a bad product. The Chicago Bears become the latest team to sign then cut Hood. He was an up and comer, the overachiever made veteran made minor-star when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles, but that seems like a long time ago. Given his recent employment tumult, he is sure to sign to or near the veteran minimum and he's sure to be supremely motivated to reestablish himself.

As I said half a week ago:

He's not a great corner. Hood has spent his career as a flashy backup that wins the hearts of fans with his ball skills, and frustrates coaches with his lack of discipline. The Eagles got good value out of him. He was an inexpensive nickelback that could sub in a crunch. Their attacking system and Brian Dawkins compensated for his weaknesses and created opportunities for him to show his ball skills.

That's what Jim Mora and Gus Bradley want to accomplish in Seattle. Much has been made about the Seahawks new attacking style, its emphasis on defensive backs playing the ball, and its zone heavy secondary. Hood could thrive in a reduced role. He's a better open field tackler than Kelly Jennings, better at playing the ball than Jennings, and probably a better fit for this system than Jennings, too. Hood is 27, nearing 28. Cut so late into the preseason, he will most likely have to accept a veteran minimum contact and hope he reestablishes himself. If Seattle is concerned about their depth or thinks it can upgrade its dime packages, Hood could be the player to do that.

Assuming there's not a VW four-banger hiding under the hood, the reasoning still stands.