Getty Jalyn Holmes has been signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad.
The Chicago Bears have added a former member of the Minnesota Vikings less than a week ahead of their Week 5 matchup.
According to the NFL’s October 4 waiver wire, the Bears have signed former Vikings defensive end Jalyn Holmes to their practice squad. The Vikings drafted Holmes in the fourth round (102nd overall) in the 2018 NFL draft and he spent three years with them before getting waived in September of 2021.
He landed with the New Orleans Saints after that, playing minimally. The veteran defensive end also spent time with the New York Giants this offseason before ultimately getting waived as part of the team’s final roster cuts in August.
In addition to adding Holmes, the Bears also brought tight end Sammis Reyes in for a workout.
Holmes: Background & Stats
The 6-foot-5, 283-pound Holmes played defensive end for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2014 to 2017, redshirting as a freshman. Holmes played in 51 games for the Buckeyes (nine starts), and he finished with 84 total tackles (14 for loss), four pass breakups, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 5.5 sacks.
Holmes, 26, didn’t play more than 20% of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in each of his first two seasons after getting drafted, but he saw quite a bit more action in Year 3. He played in 14 games that year, starting nine, and he amassed 36 total tackles (four for loss), four QB hits and two passes defended (stats via Pro Football Reference).
Last season with the Saints, he made the practice squad before getting elevated to the active roster in October. He played in eight games (one start), and finished with 14 tackles (two for loss) and a pass breakup on 35% of the team’s defensive snaps.
Who Is Sammis Reyes?
The Bears also brought former Washington Commanders tight end Sammis Reyes in for a workout.
Reyes is a former basketball player who wound up becoming the first Chilean-born player to play in the NFL. He gave up basketball in 2019 failing to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup and entered the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, a league initiative placing international athletes with teams to train for a season, shortly after that.
He worked delivering food as a DoorDash driver during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and caught the eye of the Commanders after he worked out at the University of Florida pro day in 2021. His athleticism is undeniable. He ran a 4.65 in the 40-yard dash while also leaping for a 40-inch vertical and he impressed folks in Washington enough to make the team’s roster in 2021.
A physical blocker, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end played in 11 games for Washington last season (one start). Reyes had just 39 snaps on offense, also playing 53% of the Commanders special teams snaps.
Hampered by a nagging hamstring injury during training camp, the Commanders placed Reyes on injured reserve in August 2022 before reaching an injury settlement with him and ultimately releasing him later that month.
He’s raw, but he’s an impressive physical specimen with a ton of drive. It’ll be interesting to see if he lands in the Windy City.