The Chicago Bears are taking more than half of their 2023 practice squad with them into the 2024 offseason following their first round of roster moves.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears signed 10 members of their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday, January 8, just one day after concluding their 2023 regular season with a road loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Notable among the futures signings is 2023 rookie linebacker Micah Baskerville, whom the Bears elevated three times in November to provide depth while Tremaine Edmunds nursed a knee injury. Baskerville only saw action on special teams, but he led LSU with 89 tackles in 2022 and also played a critical role for them on special teams.
If Baskerville can find a way to translate his collegiate level of special teams play to the NFL, he could potentially vie for a roster spot with the Bears linebackers in 2024.
The Bears also signed futures deals with the following players: defensive end Daniel Hardy, defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour, interior offensive linemen Jerome Carvin and Bill Murray, offensive tackles Aviante Collins and Roy Mbaeteka, safety Adrian Colbert, tight end Stephen Carlson and wide receiver Nsimba Webster.
Bears Could Sign More Futures Deals Over January
The Bears have now secured 10 members of their practice squad for next year’s roster, but they could add more in the coming weeks as more teams conclude their seasons.
In 2023, the Bears signed a pair of outside players — Daurice Fountain and Donovan Jeter — to contracts one day after announcing their first round of futures signings. They also added a few more as the month went on, including cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. — who eventually earned a place on the 53-man roster during the 2023 season.
Ultimately, though, teams sign players to futures deals with the expectation that they are going to operate on the roster fringe and fight for every inch during the offseason. Sometimes they pull off surprises and earn active-roster roles, as Stroman did in 2023, but teams generally treat them as expendable and have no issue casting them aside in favor of free-agent signings and draft picks before they even have a chance to compete.
What Are Next Moves for Bears in 2024 Offseason?
The Bears have some critical decisions ahead of them in the 2024 offseason. They have free agents to consider re-signing before the start of the new league year on March 13. They also have to decide what to do with Justin Fields, whether it is to keep him as their starting quarterback or trade him and find a new franchise piece with the No. 1 pick.
Before all that, though, Chicago has a few other things to cross off its checklist.
The first thing is for the Bears to decide whether it needs to make any staffing changes. There is little question that general manager Ryan Poles will remain at the helm, but Matt Eberflus’ future is not guaranteed after a second straight losing season. The Bears appeared to be figuring things out in the second half of the 2023 season, winning five of their final eight games, but a rough loss to the Packers may have shaken faith a bit.
Even if Eberflus sticks around, the Bears may still decide to fire offensive coordinator Luke Getsy after an inconsistent season from him as a play-caller. He had moments of brilliance in his second season in Chicago, but he also made an unhealthy amount of questionable calls that, in many cases, put the Bears in bad situations late in drives.
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Bears Sign Rookie Linebacker, 9 Others to New Contracts for 2024