Bears cut Ratliff day after heated exchange outside Halas Hall

The Bears' termination of veteran nose tackle Jeremiah Ratliff on Thursday afternoon is especially interesting given the events of a day earlier at Halas Hall.

A little more than 24 hours before the move was made public, the 34-year-old Ratliff was observed while stopped in his truck at the Halas Hall security gate and engaged in an animated conversation with general manager Ryan Pace. Bears security personnel appeared to be monitoring the situation.

Despite being asked multiple times about the incident, Bears vice president of communications Scott Hagel declined to provide any information regarding Ratliff's situation or acknowledge any reason for the involvement of security.

"We felt moving forward without Jeremiah was in the best interest of our team," Pace said in a statement Thursday. "We appreciate his contributions and wish him well."

Ratliff missed the first three games of the season because of an NFL suspension related to his DUI conviction in 2012. He missed the fourth game because of a lingering ankle injury from the preseason. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound Ratliff started games 5 and 6 and had 7 tackles.

Ratliff, who made the Pro Bowl in four consecutive season (2008-11) with the Dallas Cowboys before being released, signed with the Bears late in the 2013 season and played in five games with 14 ½ tackles. He started 11 games last year and had 41 tackles and 6 ½ sacks, which was second on the team.

In a related move, the Bears signed another defensive tackle, former Steelers first-round pick (32nd overall) Evander "Ziggy" Hood.

The Bears' depth along the defensive line has taken some serious hits this season. Last week defensive lineman Ego Ferguson was placed on injured reserve, and earlier in the season defensive end Cornelius Washington was placed on the injured reserve list.

The swapping of Ratliff for the 28-year-old Hood is the latest move toward a younger roster.

The 6-foot-3, 300-pound Hood played 96 games with 46 starts over six seasons with Steelers (2009-13) and Jacksonville Jaguars (2014).

He has career totals of 164 tackles, 12 ½ sacks, 17 tackles for losses, 24 quarterback hits, 5 fumble recoveries and 7 pass break-ups. He appeared in all 16 games each season from 2009-14.

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