Getty Ex-Commanders TE Sammis Reyes has been signed to the Bears' practice squad.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s days in a Chicago Bears uniform are over.
On October 18, the team announced it had cut the struggling wide receiver while also promoting veteran wideout Isaiah Coulter from the practice squad to the active roster. To fill the spot vacated by Coulter, the Bears also signed tight end Sammis Reyes.
Smith-Marsette’s release doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched much of the previous two Bears games.
The recently-released wideout made a grave error Week 5 against his former team, the Minnesota Vikings, when he failed to run out of bounds with just over a minute remaining in the game. Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler promptly stripped the ball out of Smith-Marsette’s hands, effectively ending Chicago’s comeback attempt. In the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Washington Commanders, it was multiple drops from Smith-Marsette in the final minutes that drew the ire of Bears fans.
Coulter spent the bulk of the 2021 season on Chicago’s practice squad, getting elevated for three games. Now, he’ll likely be getting Smith-Marsette’s snaps on offense.
Isaiah Coulter Should Be Better for Bears’ Offense Than Smith-Marsette
While he has yet to catch a pass in a regular season game, Coulter performed well for Chicago over the 2022 preseason, catching eight passes on 12 targets for 112 yards (14 yards per catch). Bears’ quarterbacks had a passer rating of 96.5 when throwing his way, per PFF, and he had decent chemistry with quarterback Justin Fields.
A fifth-round pick out of Rhode Island by the Houston Texans in 2020, he was waived by Houston after just a year, and he landed with the Bears shortly after that.
Coulter, 24, told the Bears’ website in August of 2022 that he sees a lot of similarities between himself and Bears’ top wideout Darnell Mooney.
“We kind of have the same personality. We’re not too loud, just reserved kind of guys and just about our work,” Coulter told the team’s official website. “We just want to be great. I see the things that he does on the field day-in and day-out, so kudos to him and I look up to him in that way. So, I’m just trying to pick his brain and get better, talk to him on and off the field.”
Sammis Reyes: Former Basketball Player Joins Chicago’s Practice Squad
A former basketball player born in Chile, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Reyes played basketball in his native country up until 2019. After deciding to try his hand at football, Reyes was invited to work out at the University of Florida’s pro day in 2021, where he ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash while also netting a 40-inch vertical. Impressed by his athleticism and potential, the Commanders signed him to a one-year deal, and he spent the 2021 season on Washington’s active roster.
The NFL’s first Chilean-born player, Reyes is a physical and effective blocker at times, which is likely how the Bears will use him. He played in 11 games for the Commanders last season, starting one. He played 39 snaps on offense, also playing 53% of Washington’s special teams snaps.
A hamstring issue limited him in the 2022 offseason, and Washington eventually released him with an injury settlement. Now, he’ll get another opportunity in the Windy City.