Bears practice squad tracker: Here’s who the team is signing, per reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears finalized their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but they have yet to solidify another element of their team: the practice squad.
Each NFL team can carry 16 players on their practice squad. Exactly 10 of those players have to be rookie or second-year players. The Bears have yet to announce the final roster of their practice squad, but reports are surfacing of the players they’ve already signed.
Here’s who the Bears are signing to their practice squad, per reports.
The Bears are bringing back one of the main stars of “Hard Knocks,” NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock confirmed.
QB Austin Reed is being signed to the Bears practice squad. Undrafted rookie had a good spring and summer.
— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) August 28, 2024
Reed, 24, played two collegiate seasons at Western Kentucky after transferring from West Florida. As a Hilltopper, he threw for 8,084 yards, 71 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He also rushed for 324 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Over the Bears preseason slate, Reed has completed 12 out of 16 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown. He’ll now sit behind starter Caleb Williams and backup Tyson Bagent on the practice squad.
He’s had several entertaining “Hard Knocks” moments, including his “Love is Blind” conversation with Cole Kmet, his rendition of Keyshia Cole’s “Love,” and his incredible pre-drive speech during the Bears-Chiefs preseason game when he told his teammates people will remember the “2024 preseason Bears.”
The Bears are signing defensive lineman Sam Roberts to the practice squad to call him up to the 53-man roster for Week 1, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Former Patriots DL Sam Roberts is signing to the Bears practice squad with the intention of being called up for Week 1, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2024
Roberts, 26, has two NFL seasons under his belt with the Patriots. He’s played in 12 career NFL games, recording seven tackles. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Northwest Missouri State.
The Bears are signing long snapper Scott Daly to their practice squad with the plan to elevate him to the 53-man roster for Week 1, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The #Bears are signing former #Lions LS Scott Daly to their practice squad with plans to elevate him for Week 1, sources say. Former LS Patrick Scales is headed for IR.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 28, 2024
Scales will head to injured reserve, as he is set to undergo back surgery on Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune. In lieu of his absence, the Bears signed Daly, who is a local product from Downers Grove.
Daly went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. He received an invitation to Bears rookie minicamp to try out for the team. But the Bears opted against signing him. Daly didn’t play during the 2017 season.
He signed with the Cowboys during the summer of 2018 before heading to the Alliance of American Football with the San Antonio Commanders. In 2019, the XFL’s New York Guardians drafted him in the open phase of the 2020 XFL Draft. In 2021, he earned a long-snapper job with the Lions during the preseason.
The Bears are signing wide receiver Samori Toure, according to Schefter. Toure flipped teams in the NFC North division, as he recently played with the Packers.
An in-division change of teams: Former Packers WR Samori Toure is signing with the Bears practice squad, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 28, 2024
Toure, 26, has played two seasons with the Packers. He’s played 22 career games, catching 13 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown. The Packers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Check back to this story for more updates as practice squad signings continue.
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