Chicago Bears claim former Redskins tight end J.P. Holtz off waivers

The Chicago Bears have claimed former Washington Redskins tight end J.P. Holtz off waivers. Holtz spent parts of the last two seasons in Washington.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Washington Redskins made a move that signified that Jordan Reed was starting to get healthy. After the star tight end missed the first game of the season while recovering from a concussion, the Redskins seemingly expressed confidence in his potential availability ahead of their Week 2 contest against the Dallas Cowboys.

The ‘Skins waived reserve tight end J.P. Holtz from the 53-man roster among a handful of moves for the team. Holtz had been called up from the practice squad on Saturday when it was confirmed that Reed wasn’t going to be available for the contest. Holtz served as a depth option at tight end but was mostly used on special teams.

But now, the Redskins will have Holtz no more. The Chicago Bears claimed him off waivers from the Redskins according to the team’s official PR Twitter account.

This isn’t a crushing loss for the Redskins, but it is a loss nonetheless. The team was likely hoping to stash the versatile Holtz on the practice squad in case they needed tight end depth should one of their top options get injured. But now, he will suit up for the Bears.

Chicago is dealing with an injury to top tight end Trey Burton but they do have solid depth behind him. It’s unclear where Holtz fits into the equation, but perhaps the team is planning to use him in more of a fullback/H-back role in Matt Nagy’s offense. That would make sense, as Holtz has thrived in that role during the preseason in the past couple of years.

With Holtz getting claimed off waivers, the Redskins now have an open practice squad spot. Perhaps they’ll bring back preseason tight end options Matt Flanagan or Donald Parham to give themselves extra protection at the tight end position with Holtz no longer an option.

Losing Holtz isn’t a big deal, but it is a minor inconvenience for Washington. And it certainly demonstrates that they weren’t the only team in the league that understood the value of Holtz.