Chicago Bears Depth Chart
- NFC North
- Stadium
- Soldier Field
- Head Coach
- Matt Eberflus
- Offensive Coordinator
- Shane Waldron
- Defensive Coordinator
- Eric Washington
- Special Teams Coach
- Richard Hightower
- Defensive Scheme
- 4-3
Free-agent tight end Tommy Sweeney signed an undisclosed deal with the Chicago Bears on Sunday after a tryout at their rookie minicamp, according to a source. Sweeney was with the New York Giants most of last year but sat out after he collapsed and had a "medical event" on the practice field. The 28-year-old was originally drafted in the seventh round (228th overall) by the Buffalo Bills in 2019 out of Boston College. All three of his NFL seasons came with Buffalo, and Sweeney has caught a total of 18 passes for 165 yards and one touchdown on 26 targets in just 24 games played (four starts). Sweeney will be competing for a roster spot in training camp this summer among a tight end group in Chicago that already includes Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett, Stephen Carlson and rookie Brenden Bates.
Chicago Bears rookie first-round wide receiver Rome Odunze (hamstring) is dealing with hamstring tightness and will sit out of Saturday's rookie minicamp practice. It's likely nothing to worry about in the long run, but it's also not a great start for Odunze as he looks to get going as a top-10 pick in this year's NFL draft. It's something to keep an eye on with the 21-year-old from Washington as we get deeper into the offseason and closer to training camp. The Bears took Odunze at No. 9 overall to give rookie quarterback Caleb Williams more weapons in the passing attack in addition to established veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. Odunze was extremely productive in college and is ultra-athletic on the football field, but it's going to be tough for him to produce consistent numbers in Chicago's offense in his rookie season as long as both Moore and Allen stay healthy.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus officially named rookie quarterback Caleb Williams as the team's starting QB on Friday at rookie minicamp. Everyone already knew that Williams would be Chicago's starting signal-caller when they selected him first overall in last month's NFL draft out of USC. The path was cleared for the 22-year-old when they traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the offseason. There's always a learning curve for rookies that start right out of the gates in the NFL, but Williams may have the best chance for immediate success given all the weapons he has around him, especially in the passing attack. The trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie first-rounder Rome Odunze -- not to mention tight end Cole Kmet -- will help Williams immensely. As far as his fantasy value for Year 1 in the NFL, Williams will be on the QB2 map with upside.
The Chicago Bears signed undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed on Thursday, according to NFL.com. Reed had a monster college career, passing for 8,084 yards, 71 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions in his two seasons at Western Kentucky. Before his move to WKU, he threw for 7,464 yards, 78 touchdowns, and 20 interceptions in two years at West Florida and won a Division II National Championship. The 24-year-old spent six years in college and was not among the 11 quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he'll now have an outside chance of competing with Tyson Bagent for the QB2 job behind No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain wonders if running back Khalil Herbert would be a trade candidate if the Chicago Bears bring in an undrafted rookie at the position and he impresses. Of course, this all depends on the development of Roschon Johnson. Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal. D'Andre Swift signed a three-year contract with the Bears this offseason, while Johnson has the same number of years remaining on his first contract after being drafted in the fourth round in 2023. Herbert is a solid back, but RBI is a position that changes often for teams. Chicago's coaching staff is high on Johnson, and the 26-year-old Herbert dealt with ankle and back injuries last year after leading the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2022. The addition of Swift in this backfield obviously hurts Herbert's fantasy stock a great deal heading into the 2024 season.