Getty The Chicago Bears have signed former Packers and Lions QB Tim Boyle.
The Chicago Bears have added multiple players heading into their Week 13 matchup against the rival Green Bay Packers.
The Bears poached two players from other teams: They signed quarterback Tim Boyle off of the Detroit Lions‘ practice squad while also snagging defensive lineman Andrew Brown off the practice squad of the Arizona Cardinals.
Starting quarterback Justin Fields is still day-to-day with a shoulder injury and his backup Trevor Siemian is also sidelined with an oblique issue, so right now, third-stringer Nathan Peterman and Boyle are the healthiest QBs on Chicago’s roster.
Tim Boyle’s Connection to Luke Getsy Made Him Attractive to Bears
Boyle signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2018, making Green Bay’s 53-man roster that year. He served as third-string QB behind Aaron Rodgers and DeShone Kizer as a rookie, but didn’t see action until the following year. Boyle appeared in eight games for the Packers over the 2019 and 2020 regular seasons, completing 3-of-4 passes for 15 yards (stats via Pro Football Reference).
The 28-year-old Boyle signed a one-year deal with the Lions in 2021, where he played in five games (three starts), going 61-of-94 for 541 yards, three touchdowns and six interceptions. He has spent his entire 2022 campaign on Detroit’s practice squad.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed the addition of Boyle when speaking to the media on November 30, noting the QB’s familiarity with Bears’ offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s system was a factor in his signing.
“We signed Tim Boyle from Detroit practice squad, signed him to the active roster just for purposes of when you have two quarterbacks that are dealing with injuries and you also have Nate (Peterman) on the roster,” Eberflus said. “We’re doing it for precaution to make sure we’re covering all of our bases and we’re squared away with that and (general manager) Ryan (Poles) and his staff did that recently. And it’s really because of the familiarity he has with Luke, obviously being in Green Bay from 2018 to 2020 there, so that’s squared away.”
If neither Fields nor Siemian is able to play against Green Bay — and that’s a very realistic possibility, as Fields has been limited in practice, while Siemian hasn’t been practicing at all — Boyle could see action if Peterman were to start and get injured. Thus, his familiarity in Getsy’s system could come in handy sooner than later.
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New Bears DL Andrew Brown: Background & Stats
In addition to Boyle, the Bears also signed Brown to their active roster. The 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive tackle attended college at the University of Virginia and was a fifth-round draft pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018. He spent the 2018 season on the Bengals’ practice squad and wound up making the team the following year, playing in 18 games for Cincinnati over the 2019 and 2020 seasons (one start).
He also spent time on the rosters of the Houston Texans and the Los Angeles Chargers before getting signed to Arizona’s PS in September of 2022. Over his three active seasons as a player, Brown has appeared in 23 games, amassing 18 total tackles and 1.0 sacks in that span.
He has yet to play in 2022, but he could get an opportunity Week 13 against the Packers.