The Chicago Bears released veteran defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff and signed defensive lineman Ziggy Hood, the team announced Thursday.

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

Ratliff, dressed in Bears warm-up clothes, and Pace were observed having an animated conversation in front of Halas Hall around 11:30 a.m. CT while the rest of the team was on the practice field. The exact nature of Ratliff and Pace's conversation is unknown, though sources told the Chicago Tribune that team officials judged that Ratliff arrived not in a condition to work. Two team security guards stood only a couple of feet away during the conversation.

A squad car from an area police department was seen patrolling the Halas Hall grounds at approximately 3 p.m.

The NFL suspended Ratliff for the first three games of the regular season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.