With certain NFL players, it's fascinating to look back on where they spent time earlier in their careers, before they become a more established contributor.
That's certainly the case with Ray-Ray McCloud, who has played for a lot of teams, including the Carolina Panthers .
McCloud is in the news on the eve of the 2026 NFL season because he was just released by his latest team, the Chicago Bears . That news came as part of the NFL's official transactions report on Friday.
The explosive McCloud had only signed with the Bears on Aug. 10, after the preseason was already underway.
He then got hurt late in the preseason and was placed on IR, which means he was now cut with an injury settlement.
It's not clear what McCloud will be able to do next. He'll likely first have to prove he's healthy, and in the meantime, he's not getting any younger or any faster.
For now, it's a reason to quickly look back at what McCloud has done in the NFL, including that brief foray to Carolina.
McCloud had a brief period of his career with Carolina, in 2019.
He appeared in just six regular season games for the Panthers, and he wasn't targeted or given any touch on offense.
With the Panthers, McCloud was solely a return man. He had 10 punt returns for 82 yards, and eight kick returns for 174 yards.
That season, the Panthers had McCloud early in the year and ended up waiving him in October. That was it for his time in Carolina.
McCloud became more familiar to Panthers fans later in his career when he had some solid moments in an Atlanta Falcons uniform.
McCloud began his NFL career as a sixth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Clemson.
He spent that first season with the Bills but didn't make a huge difference, which is how he ended up with the Panthers just a year later.
McCloud was on the Bills' practice squad the rest of 2019 after Carolina cut him, and then he went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020 and 2021.
From there, it was two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers .
McCloud joined the Falcons in 2024 and had the best season of his career by far, catching 62 passes for 686 yards.
He then began the 2025 season with the Falcons before they cut him on Oct. 21. He signed with the New York Giants the next day.
McCloud made just one catch for the Giants, though, a five-yarder, while appearing in just two regular season games for the G-Men.
That brought him to a long offseason without a contract until the Bears brought him in for a few weeks.
If McCloud hadn't gotten hurt, maybe he would've had a chance at a role in Chicago, but his injury ended any chances of that.
Now, he'll have to show patience in hopes of another eventual NFL opportunity. He's used to a wandering football journey, and McCloud will just hope that it isn't done yet.
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