Bears To Bring Quintin Demps Off Of IR
The Bears announced that safety Quintin Demps will return to practice on Thursday. This will trigger a three-week practice window for him to return from IR. 
Demps suffered a fractured left arm in the Bears’ Week 3 win over the Steelers. He’s returning at a good time for the Bears as third-year pro Adrian Amos deals with a hamstring injury that could be a season-ender. The 3-8 Bears aren’t playing for much, but Demps is probably eager to make good on the three year, $13.5MM contract he signed with the Bears in March.
Demps is set to carry cap numbers of $4.3MM and $4.83MM in each of the next two seasons. It seems likely that he’ll be back in 2018, but the Bears could theoretically save $3.66MM and eat just $667K if they release him. He’ll turn 33 in June.
Demps started 26 games in 2015 and 2016 and is coming off a season in which he graded as the league’s No. 12 safety, according to the numbers at Pro Football Focus.
The return of Demps officially ends the season of wide receiver Kevin White. However, at last check, the Bears were not optimistic about him being able to play.
Bears Sign S Chris Prosinski
The Bears have signed safety Chris Prosinski. To make room, linebacker Howard Jones has been released. 
A fourth-round pick of the Jaguars in 2011, Prosinski spent 2015 and 2016 with the Bears. He saw action on 174 defensive snaps last season, operating mostly as a reserve. After a quiet couple of weeks on the open market this past offseason, Prosinski re-upped with the Bears on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, injuries kept him from the field. After tryouts with the Falcons, 49ers, and Bills, Prosinski has found his way back to Chicago.
On Twitter, the Bears indicated that they have “waived Jones and signed him to the practice squad.” However, per NFL rules, the Bears cannot re-sign Jones until he has cleared the waiver wire. If Jones does indeed clear waivers in the next 24 hours, you can expect to see him on the Bears’ taxi squad.
The addition of Prosinski could be a sign that safety Adrian Amos will miss time.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/29/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
- C Anthony Fabiano; T Justin Murray; LB Max Valles; CBs Dejuan Butler, Nick Marshall; P Jeff Locke (Twitter links)
Cleveland Browns
- P Brock Miller (link)
Detroit Lions
- S Duke Ihenacho (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- K Andrew Franks (link)
New York Giants
- CBs Taveze Calhoun, Daquan Holmes, Jeremiah McKinnon, Josh Thornton (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- OL Adam Gettis (link)
Washington Redskins
Bears Claim LB Lamarr Houston
The Bears have claimed linebacker Lamarr Houston, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Texans released the veteran on Tuesday, exposing him to post-trading deadline waivers. 
Houston spent the 2014-2016 seasons in Chicago. The results were mixed, primarily due to his health. Houston, 30, didn’t live up to his five-year, $35MM free agent deal signed in 2014. In three seasons with the Bears, Houston has appeared in just 26 of a possible 48 games and made only ten starts. The Bears opted to release Houston just prior to Week 1 of this season.
The potential remains for Houston to be an effective edge rusher, although perhaps not as a starter like when he was with the Raiders. After two ACL tears and multiple other knee injuries, he could best serve the Bears as a reserve. Currently, the Bears are starting Mitch Unrein and Akiem Hicks at defensive end with Pernell McPhee and Sam Acho as the starting outside linebackers. Houston figures to get reps at OLB, particularly wtih Leonard Floyd and Willie Young on IR.
In five games with the Texans, Houston recorded seven total tackles, one forced fumble (recovered for a touchdown), and one sack.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/28/17
Here are today’s workout updates, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer unless otherwise noted.
Chicago Bears
- WR Mekale McKay, WR Canaan Severin, WR Rodney Smith (Twitter link)
Cleveland Browns
- LB Lavar Edwards, LB Jayrone Elliott, LB Marcus Rush, DE Devin Taylor (Twitter link)
Detroit Lions
- WR Eric Rogers, WR Daikiel Shorts
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
- DT Mike Purcell (Twitter link)
New York Jets
- DL Marcus Hardison
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Kenneth Olugbode, TE Hayden Plinke, RB Jhurell Pressley, RB Brandon Radcliff (Twitter link)
Tennessee Titans
- DL Stefan Charles, DL Johnny Maxey
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/17
Here are today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed off Saints’ practice squad: LB Gabe Martin
- Signed: RB Bronson Hill
- Waived: S Harlan Miller
- Waived: G/T Vinston Painter
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR Tre McBride
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR: TE A.J. Derby
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed: TE Ross Travis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: TE Orson Charles
New England Patriots
- Signed off Ravens’ Practice Squad: LB Nicholas Grigsby
- Signed: OL Jason King
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: WR Isaac Whitney
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Rodney Coe
- Waived: DT Garrison Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Bobo Wilson
- Signed: FB Alan Cross
- Waived: TE Luke Stocker
Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/17
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Kevin Snyder
- Cut: LB Connor Harris
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Lorenzo Doss
- Waived: OL Will Pericak
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Alex Carter
- Waived: WR Mario Alford
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DL Josh Tupou
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Jacob Hagen
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, DB Stefan McClure
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Jeremy Liggins
- Waived: G Ian Silberman
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DE Francis Kallon
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Brooks Ellis, WR Jaelen Strong
- Waived: DL Marcus Hardison
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: TE Johnny Mundt, DB Marcus Sayles
- Waived: OL Jeremiah Poutasi
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB De’Veon Smith
New England Patriots
- Waived: DT Mike Purcell
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: FB Kyle Coleman, LB Kache Palacio
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Jake Lampman, T Givens Price, CB David Rivers
John DeFilippo A Potential Fox Replacement?
- If the Bears fire John Fox this offseason, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com believes that Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo should be considered for the job. DeFilippo would be an out-of-the-box hire since he is not a coordinator, but the feeling in Philadelphia is that no one has been more instrumental in Carson Wentz‘s development than the 39-year-old. It’s possible that DeFilippo could be the guy to help rookie QB Mitch Trubisky reach his full potential. And, with anywhere from 7-10 teams potentially looking for a new head coach this offseason, DeFilippo can be expected to draw some interest.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/23/17
Here are the Thanksgiving Day moves.
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LB Howard Jones
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: DL Cam Thomas
Bears Place Leonard Floyd On IR
In not even a week since we learned that Bears linebacker Leonard Floyd seriously injured his right knee, the talented pass rusher has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced on Thursday.
Floyd suffered his knee injury during the team’s game last Sunday against the Lions. The 25-year-old had reportedly sprained two ligaments during the contest, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. So while it wasn’t immediately known if the injury was season-ending, head coach John Fox pretty much implied that Floyd’s outlook for 2017 didn’t appear all too hopeful.
“It’s going to be some time until he can come back, if at all the rest of this season,” Fox told the media this week. “We’ll kind of measure that as we go. But it was good to hear it wasn’t the ACL. It was MCL, PCL. It will require some work to get him fixed, but obviously better news that the total reconstruction.” (Quote courtesy of Campbell).
The second-year pass rush specialist was on track to match and possibly pass is seven sacks that he collected during his rookie season. Floyd tallied 4.5 sacks in ten games this season and ranked as the 67th best pass rusher in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Chicago has suffered a number of notable injuries on the offensive side of the ball, but Floyd represents a significant blow to the team’s defense, who had already lost pass rusher Willie Young to the IR in Week 6. The Bears will have to rely on backups Sam Acho and Jonathan Anderson to fill the outside linebacker void for the remainder of the regular season.