Bears Sign Former 4th-Round LB & Veteran WR Ahead of Camp: Report

Getty The Bears have signed former Steelers fourth-round linebacker Buddy Johnson.

The Chicago Bears are adding a former fourth-round linebacker and a veteran wide receiver to their roster before officially starting 2023 training camp.

According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the Bears are signing former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Buddy Johnson along with ex-Miami Dolphins veteran wide receiver Isaiah Ford as veterans prepare to report for camp on July 25.

Johnson was a fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M for the Steelers in 2021, but he struggled to carve out a meaningful role for their defense and played just four games as one of their depth linebackers before finishing his first season on injured reserve. He was waived during 53-man roster cuts the next summer after a disappointing camp.

Ford, the Bears’ receiver signing, has at least been more accomplished over his five seasons in the league. The 27-year-old caught 63 passes for 681 yards and two scores over his four seasons with the Dolphins from 2018 to 2021, but he has been unable to lock down a new in-season role since leaving Miami during the 2022 offseason.

Now, Ford will have a chance to compete for a depth or practice-squad spot with the Bears for the 2023 season after impressive them with a successful workout on Monday.

Chicago has not yet officially announced either signing but will have to make a pair of corresponding roster cuts to clear room for them on their 90-man roster.

Johnson Unlikely to Legitimately Contend for Roster Spot

Johnson might be a recent draft pick, but he is not going to have an easy time trying to make the Bears’ roster given the personnel they have in their linebacker room.

The Bears signed two new starters — Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards — to their linebacker corps in free agency and have since also added veteran Dylan Cole and fifth-round rookie Noah Sewell to a group that returns rookie standout Jack Sanborn. If Johnson wants to persuade the Bears to keep six linebackers on their initial 53-man roster, he is almost certainly going to have to win them over as a special teams asset.

The good news is the majority of Johnson’s career has been spent playing in the third phase (59 of his 65 career regular-season snaps), but there have been no impact plays to speak of. Unless he figures out a way to turn a corner heading into his third NFL season, he could find himself on the roster bubble fairly quickly in his Bears tenure.

Chase Claypool Removed From Injury List Before Camp

On the surface, the Bears adding Ford to their roster might look like them adding a camp body to help compensate for wide receiver Chase Claypool beginning camp on the injury list, but that is evidently no longer a problem that Chicago has to worry about.

According to the Bears’ official transaction wire, Claypool was removed from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list just one day after landing on the injury list. The 25-year-old receiver had missed all but the first week of OTAs in the spring due to an issue that head coach Matt Eberflus hinted was a soft-tissue injury, but he was working out with quarterback Justin Fields and other members of the offseason in the weeks between the end of the offseason program and the start of training camp.

With Claypool now back in the fold, the Bears will get their first chance to see all three of their starting receivers in action when they hold their first practice on July 26. The Bears did not have Darnell Mooney on the field during their offseason program, as he has not practiced since breaking his ankle on November 27, but he indicated earlier in July that he will be “ready to roll” for the start of camp.

The Bears are scheduled to have their veterans report for camp later today, July 25, and will host the Tennessee Titans for their first preseason game at 1 p.m. ET on August 12.