Chicago Bears News & Rumors

NFL Minor Transactions: 7/24/25

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: G Michael Jordan, OL Tyler McLellan
  • Waived/injured: OL Silas Dzansi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Garret Greenfield

Washington Commanders

Following rumblings yesterday that Artie Burns may have suffered a season-ending injury, the bad news was confirmed today, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Dolphins cornerback indeed suffered a torn ACL. It’s a tough break for the veteran, who’s looking to revive his NFL career after being limited to only four games with the Seahawks last season. The Dolphins were quick to sign a replacement, as Miami signed Cornell Armstrong. A former sixth-round pick by the Dolphins, Armstrong last appeared in an NFL game in 2022, when he started four of his nine games for the Falcons.

The Buccaneers did some shuffling on their offensive line today. In comes a pair of lineman: Michael Jordan, who started 11 games for the Patriots last season, and Tyler McLellan, a six-foot-eight, 355-pound lineman out of Campbell. Garret Greenfield, a UDFA in the 2024 draft, has apparently decided to hang up his cleats, and the team also moved on from Silas Dzansi with an injury designation.

The Commanders were looking ahead to 2026 today, as the team added an extra year to Percy Butler‘s contract. The former fourth-round pick has had some run in the starting lineup, including a 2023 season where he started 13 games while compiling 64 tackles and eight passes defended. He started five of 17 games in 2024 while establishing himself as one of Washington’s special teams aces.

Bears Host DJ Chark; WR’s Playing Future Uncertain

The Bears hosted six free agent receivers earlier this week. With training camp getting underway, it will be interesting to see if any deals come about as a result of the visits.

Per the transactions wire (via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times), the Bears worked out DJ Chark, Chance Campbell, Thomas Gordon, Peyton Hendershot, Matt Landers and Gervarrius Owens. Out of that group, Chark is of course the most noteworthy. He has 76 games and 51 starts to his name in the NFL.

At this point in Chark’s career, however, it remains to be seen when (or if) he will line up his next opportunity. The 28-year-old has played for four teams to date, and he spent last season with the Chargers. Chark was limited to just 10 games and only four receptions in 2024, so to no surprise he was not linked to any suitors before the start of training camps. Specific fit will be key in determining whether or not Chark continues his career.

“It depends,” the former second-rounder said in an interview with Kyle Odegard of Sports Casting when asked if he will play in 2025. “It will have to be something that makes sense, from a family perspective and also from an Xs and Os perspective. Getting up and going to any team just for the excitement — I’ll always love the game, but at this point, putting myself and my family in a great position is what’s ideal for me.”

Chark broke out with a Pro Bowl campaign during his second season in the NFL. Then with the Jaguars, he notched 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns that year and delivered another relatively strong season as a follow-up. Since then, however, the LSU product has battled injuries and inconsistency while spending time in Detroit and Carolina after the expiration of his Jacksonville rookie deal. With a 14.4 yards per reception average, Chark could offer any number of teams a vertical threat in the passing game.

The Bears still have D.J. Moore and 2024 first-rounder Rome Odunze in place at the receiver spot. The team also added Luther Burden in the second round of the draft after signing Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay as depth options in free agency. With over $13MM in cap space, Chicago could afford to add Chark on a one-year pact which would no doubt be worth the veteran minimum. Failing that, his time in the NFL may come to an end.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/25

With several training camps underway, here are today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravend

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Claimed off waivers (from Eagles): DE K.J. Henry

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Houston fans may be discouraged to see a few big names on injured lists, but all is not lost. Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 tells us that Mixon’s “medical outlook is positive” as the team plans to gradually increase his activity throughout camp. Likewise, Autry is expected to ease his way back into camp workouts, as well. Pierce, on the other hand, is expected to be ready to come off the list at the start of camp.

Per ESPN’s John Keim, Cosmi likely won’t see much time on the field in camp, but he appears to be hitting all the mile markers en route to being healthy for the start of the regular season. With McLaurin officially beginning his holdout yesterday, the team has made the corresponding roster move. McLaurin will rack up fines of $50K per each day missed, but if the team can come to terms on an extension, they can make sure those fines are nullified.

Braxton Jones Receives Clearance; Bears Holding LT Competition

Braxton Jones made a quick leap from Division I-FCS blocker to starting NFL left tackle as a rookie, moving into the Bears’ starting lineup despite being a 2022 fifth-round pick. As Jones prepares for a contract year, however, the situation has changed.

The Bears have seen their three-year LT starter receive clearance, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Although Jones will need a ramp-up period as he wraps up his return from ankle surgery, he avoided the active/PUP list to open training camp. That is significant, but the Bears are not planning to give him the blindside gig without competition this year.

Kiran Amegadjie and Ozzy Trapilo, respectively chosen on Day 2 of the past two drafts, are competing with Jones for the LT post, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin notes. Ben Johnson referred to Jones’ experience making him the frontrunner, but the new HC referred to this as a true competition. That differs from how Chicago has proceeded at LT over the previous two summers.

Jones, 26, has started all 40 games he has played as a pro. This included 17 during the Bears’ woeful 2022 season. Over the past two years, though, the Southern Utah product has missed a combined 11 games. This included five due to knee and ankle injuries last season.

The fractured ankle Jones sustained in December defined his offseason, as he was a nonparticipant and rumored to be destined for the active/PUP list come training camp. Jones will at least have a better chance to stake his claim to keep the blindside job now that he has avoided it, but the new Bears staff will greenlight a challenge after the two abbreviated seasons.

Trapilo probably represents the bigger threat here, seeing as he is a second-round pick chosen on Johnson’s watch. Other than Darnell Wright, Trapilo is the Bears’ highest-drafted tackle (No. 56 overall) since Gabe Carimi (Round 1, 2011). Technically, Teven Jenkins (No. 39, 2021) was a tackle draftee; but he spent three years at guard in Chicago. The Bears appear prepared to, at the very least, groom the 6-foot-8 Trapilo for long-term LT duty.

Trapilo took first-team reps with the Bears’ first-stringers during team periods in their first camp workout, per Cronin. With Jones needing a bit of time to reacclimate, this does not seem to indicate Trapilo has an early lead. But it would point to the new staff having a slightly higher opinion of him than Amegadjie, chosen in Round 3 during Matt Eberflus‘ truncated final year on the job. The Yale alum missed a chunk of his rookie season due to injury, playing 125 snaps in six games.

Pro Football Focus has graded Jones as a top-35 tackle in each of his three seasons. This includes 19th- and 22nd-place rankings in 2022 and ’24. An opportunity exists for Jones to bolster his 2026 free agency stock by fending off the younger players for the gig. As of now, it does not look like he is a particularly important extension candidate in Chicago. A good contract year would place him as a high-end 2026 free agent. The next several weeks will be pivotal in forging this path.

Bears Sign DE Tanoh Kpassagnon, DB Tre Flowers

The Bears are making some veteran additions to their defense before training camp starts on Wednesday by signing defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon and defensive back Tre Flowers, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

To make room on the roster, the team waived defensive back Alex Cook and defensive end Jereme Robinson, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

Kpassagnon is entering his ninth season in the NFL with 104 appearances and 34 starts under his belt for the Chiefs and the Saints, though he has only produced 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. He has multiple connections to Chicago: general manager Ryan Poles was the director of college scouting in Kansas City when they drafted Kpassagnon in 2017, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen coached Kpassagnon in New Orleans for the last four years. Kpassagnon’s time as a Saint ended with a torn Achilles suffered three games into the 2024 season, but signing with a new team indicates that he is fully recovered, or close to it.

However, making the roster in Chicago is no certainty. The Bears have three edge defenders who are roster locks – Montez Sweat, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Austin Booker – and Daniel Hardy‘s role on special teams will likely keep him around, as well. That will likely leave Kpassagnon to compete with 2022 fifth-rounder Dominique Robinson for a roster spot.

Flowers is a seven-year veteran with 95 appearances and 44 starts for five different teams. He barely played last year, playing just 39 total snaps across four appearances with the Jaguars and one with the Colts. More than 80% of his career snaps have come as an outside cornerback, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he will likely remain in that role in Chicago. Flowers will be the team’s oldest and most experienced cornerback, which may help him beat out his younger competition for a roster spot. He also played 579 special teams snaps in 2022 and 2023; a return to that level of contribution would certainly help him as well.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/20/25

Here are today’s minor NFL moves to close out the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Olajiga, a London native, joins the roster as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Program. The 27-year-old spent the 2024 season on the Rams’ practice squad as an IPP athlete, as well, but didn’t find his way to the field.

Keenum, Johnson, and Molden all passed physicals today, permitting their respective teams to active them off of their injured lists.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/25

Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

  • Placed on active/NFI list: T Timothy McKay

The Cardinals were one of the two teams Barrs visited yesterday. His free agent workout clearly went well, and he will look to carve out a roster spot during training camp. Barrs, a former UDFA, has yet to make a regular season appearance.

Every player on a PUP or NFI list can be activated at any time, but their designations mean they are not cleared to practice at the start of their respective training camps. Notably, the Patriots’ list of PUP players does not include Stefon Diggs. The free agent addition was a candidate to begin camp on the PUP list, but New England’s decision to keep him on the active roster is an encouraging sign regarding his ACL recovery.

The Jets are taking a cautious approach with Jermaine Johnson, as the former first-rounder confirmed on X. An Achilles tear limited him to two games last year, but the Pro Bowler said on Saturday he is ready for on-field work. Activation well in advance of Week 1 should be expected in his case.

Bears Sign No. 39 Pick Luther Burden To Fully Guaranteed Rookie Contract

No. 39 pick Luther Burden is signing a 100% fully guaranteed rookie contract with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, becoming the latest pick in the history of the draft to do so.

News of Burden’s deal came two hours after No. 37 pick Jonah Savaiinaea received a fully guaranteed contract from the Dolphins, continuing a cascade of second-round pick signings as teams being to gather for training camp. Burden, once a projected first-round pick, will still secure a fully guaranteed rookie deal after falling into the second round.

Burden was an interesting case study during his time in Columbia. As a five-star freshman with the Tigers, coming in as the top-ranked receiver in the Class of 2022, Burden started 10 games but only amassed 375 yards. Still, he showed flashes in Year 1 with a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown and even a one-year rushing score, but the fact that he had more drops (7) than touchdowns (6) was an early sign of the volatility one could expect from him.

His sophomore season put him on the map for scouts everywhere. A second-team All-American season showed Burden break onto the scene with 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns, while reducing his drops to only four despite seeing twice the targets. Scouts were licking their chops for his 2024 film, but Burden rewarded them only with a bit of regression, giving them 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns. He did continue to display his electric, play-making abilities, though, with two more rushing touchdowns, including one for 61 yards.

Because of his quickness, Burden functions primarily as a slot receiver, and at 6-foot, 206 pounds, he’s an imposing slot. Mizzou almost exclusively worked to get the ball in his hands within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. His 10 catches of 20 yards or more last year ranked 110th for receivers in the NFL. A big reason for that was his struggles with route-running. With footwork and an upright running style making separation hard to come by downfield, the Tigers relied on his quickness to get him the ball closer to the line of scrimmage.

That is where Burden shined. Burden was a yards after catch machine in college. Impressive foot speed, body control, and change of direction made him a menace with the ball in his hands, which is why Missouri fed him day and night to the tune of 192 career receptions — good for fourth all-time in school history — in only three years. Those same skills make him a dangerous gadget rusher and return man, as well, though he had issues with ball security during his time at Mizzou.

With D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze catching passes on the outside from Caleb Williams, Chicago had quite a few players vying for snaps in the slot like Olamide Zaccheaus, Devin Duvernay, and Tyler Scott. Drafting Burden potentially saves them the position battle. Though he’ll still have to earn the job, Burden’s pedigree and big-play ability should make him a favorite to be on the field in three-receiver sets with Moore and Odunze.

All eyes will now turn to No. 40 pick Tyler Shough. His holdout for a fully guaranteed deal as the Saints’ projected starting quarterback is one of the main reasons that so many second-rounders remained unsigned by their rookie reporting dates. Now that every pick ahead of Shough has signed a fully guaranteed deal – except for Browns rookie Quinshon Judkins, who is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in Florida – the 25-year-old quarterback should be able to extract similar terms from the Saints.

The Bears’ rookie class is due to report on Friday, and after reaching an agreement with the team on a four-year, $10.965MM contract, Burden will be among them. The former Missouri standout will now compete with a deep group of pass-catchers for targets in Ben Johnson‘s new-look offense. Here’s a final look at Chicago’s eight-man rookie class:

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Bears, Second-Round OT Ozzy Trapilo Agree To Deal

After agreeing to terms with second-round defensive lineman Shemar Turner earlier today, the Bears have now inked another one of their three Round 2 picks. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Bears have a “deal in place” with offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo.

[RELATED: Bears, Second-Round DL Shemar Turner Agree To Terms]

Around the league, a number of second-round picks remain unsigned as they push for more guaranteed money. Albert Breer of TheMMQB reports that Trapilo got the first two seasons of his four-year rookie pact guaranteed. The third season of that deal is 72 percent guaranteed. This is a slightly better arrangement than Turner, who only got a 35-percent guarantee on that third year.

Trapilo established himself as one of the top offensive tackles in the nation during his time at Boston College After earning second-team All-ACC honors in 2023, he got a first-team nod in 2024. Those performances helped make him the 56th-overall pick in this year’s draft. The lineman played on both sides of the offensive line during his time with the Eagles, and there’s a chance the Bears capitalize on that versatility in the NFL.

While the interior of Chicago’s offensive line should consist of all newcomers in 2025, the Bears still have holdovers Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright penciled in at the tackle spots. However, Jones is still recovering from the fractured fibula he suffered towards the end of last season, and there are rumblings that he’ll be a limited participant during training camp. That would provide an opening for the rookie to step in and run with the hob.

As second-round picks around the league remain unsigned, the Bears have made some progress today signing their rooks. Focus will now turn to receiver Luther Burden (39th overall), who represents Chicago’s final unsigned draft pick.

Bears, Second-Round DL Shemar Turner Agree To Terms

Alfred Collins became only the third second-round pick from this year’s draft to sign his rookie deal yesterday. Another defensive lineman taken in that round has now done the same.

 Shemar Turner and the Bears have agreed to terms, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Texas A&M product was selected 62nd overall. That slot has seen 52.9% and 52.6% of the four-year contract guaranteed over the past two years (h/t Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap).

Full details with respect to guarantees in this case are unknown at this point, but it certainly stands to reason Turner will not receive his entire pact fully locked in. Indeed, a 35% guarantee for the third year of the contract has been included in this agreement, Mike Klis of 9News reports. It will be interesting to see if that helps to serve as another benchmark for the other second-rounders who have yet to sign with training camps looming.

Turner spent four years with the Aggies, and he posted six sacks during his junior campaign. Expectations were high for a repeat of that production last year, but he only managed a pair of sacks and six tackles for loss (after recording 11 the previous season). Still, Turner was one of several highly-regarded interior defenders in the 2025 class, and it came as little surprise when he was selected in the second round.

The Bears added Grady Jarrett in free agency, and the longtime Falcon will handle starting duties with his new team. Chicago also has the likes of Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Andrew Billings in place along the defensive line. Turner will look to carve out a rotational role during his rookie season and develop into a notable contributor over time.

Chicago still has two more second-rounders to sign over the coming days: receiver Luther Burden (taken 39th overall) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (56th). With Turner’s pact taken care of, the team will look to get the other two signed before Saturday’s rookie reporting date for training camp.