HEADLINES

Theo Benedet

Theo Benedet Enters Bears’ LT Competition

August 15th, 2025 at 8:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

One of the Bears’ top training camp battles has come at the left tackle spot. The competition is ongoing, and a fourth contender appears to have emerged.

[RELATED: Recapping Bears’ Offseason]

Theo Benedet has seen time with the starting offense during three practices this week, as detailed by ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. The 2024 undrafted free agent spent last season on Chicago’s practice squad, but with the left tackle competition being labeled wide open by new head coach Ben Johnson, opportunities have presented themselves recently. Benedet worked at left and right tackle during the Bears’ preseason opener.

“He’s right in the middle of it,” Johnson said. “I’ve been very, very excited about Theo and what he’s done both on the right and the left side. He was probably overlooked to start this competition, but the longer this thing’s gone on, there’s a strong argument for what he’s put on tape.”

Benedet entered the NFL after playing collegiately in Canada. The University of British Columbia product has yet to play a regular season snap, so it would certainly come as a surprise if he were to land the Week 1 job. Still, the fact that Benedet, 23, has inserted himself into the conversation is noteworthy. Incumbent Braxton Jones recently received full medical clearance and he has also seen time with the starters up front during camp.

Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo has worked at both tackle spots this summer. The Boston College alum primarily operated as a right tackle in college, but he could find himself on the blindside depending on how the coming weeks play out. 2024 third-rounder Kiran Amegadjie has been in the mix, although he found himself with the third-team offense on Wednesday (h/t Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune). The Yale product has missed considerable time this summer with a leg injury, hindering his chances of winning the starting gig. Johnson aims to have a clear-cut winner in place soon, and the upcoming preseason game could prove to be telling.

“We’ll go as long as we need to go to find the right guy,” Johnson said (via Cronen). “But we’d like to see someone go ahead and make it clear to us that he is that guy and we just haven’t seen that yet as a staff. There’s been too much up and down.”

Each of the candidates for the left tackle gig could see action on Sunday against the Bills. It will be interesting to see how Benedet in particular fares as the Bears seek out clarity regarding the overall depth chart up front.

NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25

January 6th, 2025 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC North

August 28th, 2024 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings moves are noted below.

Chicago Bears

Signed:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Detroit Lions

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Green Bay Packers

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Minnesota Vikings

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Bears Drop Roster To 53

August 27th, 2024 at 5:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears have set their initial 53-man roster. Here is the full breakdown of the moves they made on Tuesday ahead of the cutdown deadline in addition to releasing veteran quarterback Brett Rypien:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Placed on IR (designated for return):

With Rypien out of the picture, it will be interesting to see if Reed is kept the organization with a practice squad deal. For the time being, Chicago’s only passers are Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. It comes as no surprise those two were kept on the 53-man roster, of course, but it neither Rypien nor Reed are available in the next few days, the Bears will be in the market for a depth addition.

Waitman was one of two punters in place during the offseason, so the decision to cut him means fourth-round rookie Tory Taylor has won the gig. Waitman, 29, played for the Steelers in 2021 and the Broncos the following season. He led the NFL in punts during his full campaign in Denver, but he did see any regular season action in 2023. Waitman signed a futures deal in the winter, the Taylor selection suggested he would need to find a new home once roster cuts took place.

Borom and Martin were not named to the initial 53-man roster, per a new role for 2024. Teams may designate two players to return from IR before naming their rosters, although they are still required to miss at least the first four games of the season. In Pettis’ case, on the other hand, today’s move confirms he will be sidelined for the entire campaign.

Bears Sign Nine UDFAs

May 9th, 2024 at 12:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bears kicked off the 2024 draft, and the team also owned the No. 9 pick. Chicago only made three other selections during the weekend, though, leaving room for a number of undrafted players to take part in rookie minicamp. Here are the Bears’ UDFA additions:

Randolph did not enter the draft with nearly as much acclaim as fellow Illinois D-lineman Jer’Zhan Newton, but he received a notable financial commitment from the Bears. Randolph secured $200K in guaranteed salary along with a $20K signing bonus, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. The 6-5, 270-pounder amassed 10 sacks over the past three seasons and he will aim to provide depth along the defensive interior this year.

Chicago’s other lucrative financial investment was made in Benedet. Just like college teammate Giovanni Manu, Benedet put himself on the NFL radar during his time with the Thunderbirds. The latter received $100K in total guarantees, per Wilson. Benedet earned first-team All-Canadian honors in each of the past two seasons, and he was selected by his hometown BC Lions in this year’s CFL draft. If he does not make the Bears’ initial roster, therefore, he will have a path to playing time north of the border.

Reed began his college career at Southern Illinois, redshirting with the team in 2018. That was followed by a transfer to West Florida, with whom he won the Division II championship. Reed sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign before ultimately finishing his college tenure at Western Kentucky. Over two seasons with the Hilltoppers, he amassed 8,086 passing yards while throwing 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Reed added 12 rushing scores over that span, and he will aim to parlay that dual-threat skillset into at least a practice squad spot in 2024.