Garrett Johnson

Bears Trim Roster To 53

The Bears have reduced their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Placed on injured reserve:

Bears Bring In 16 UDFAs

The Bears recently announced their undrafted free agent haul. Fifteen players will attempt to stick with the team this offseason. Here’s the full rundown:

This haul continues Chicago’s restocking of its linebacking corps, with this quartet vying to join Roquan Smith, fourth-rounder Joel Iyiegbuniwe and UFA addition Aaron Lynch. Interestingly, the Bears have added two members from recent Fighting Irish linebacker rooms in Morgan and Trumbetti. The former had a bigger role, making 91 tackles last season — second-most on the team. Morgan, who also made 88 stops as a junior, underwent shoulder surgery in January.

Nick Orr is Zach Orr‘s younger brother. He was a three-year starter for the Horned Frogs; the now-retired Zach also arrived in the NFL as a UDFA. Roland took three years off of football after being a highly touted South Carolina recruit in 2011. He played three years for the Gamecocks before taking the 2014, ’15 and ’16 seasons off prior to playing at West Georgia last year. Toliver was also an acclaimed high school recruit, coming into LSU as a five-star prospect.

The only player in Oregon State history with three carries for at least 75 yards, Nall was listed at 237 pounds with the Beavers but still averaged nearly seven yards per carry in 2016 (on 147 carries en route to 13 touchdowns). The Bears re-signed incumbent punter Pat O’Donnell, but only to a one-year deal, potentially opening the door for Winslow.