Bears Sign 3 Free Agents, Including Massive OL & Ex-Packers WR

Julie'n Davenport

Getty Offensive lineman Julie'n Davenport is set to sign with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears have signed two of the five players they worked out at veteran minicamp to one-year contracts, and the team is also expected to sign a veteran offensive lineman.

Chicago announced on April 21 it had signed wide receiver David Moore and cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. to one-year deals.

The Bears also brought three veteran offensive tackles in for tryouts on April 21 according to the NFL’s waiver wire: Caleb Benecoch, Julie’n Davenport and Trenton Scott. Per insider Aaron Wilson, the Bears are expected to ink Davenport to a contract.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the three newest members of the Bears.

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Stroman: Background, Injury History & Stats

Stroman, who turned 26 in March, was selected by Washington in the seventh round (241st overall) of the 2018 draft after playing four years at Virginia Tech. He started 48 games in college, where he displayed a versatile skill set. Serving primarily as a corner, he also netted four touchdowns and a combined 1,586 yards returning both kicks and punts. Stroman registered 61 combined tackles, 26 passes defensed, nine interceptions and two defensive scores as a cornerback with the Hokies.

He played in 15 games as a rookie for Washington, starting three. He finished with 38 total tackles, a QB hit, a forced fumble, four passes defensed and an interception that year. His 2019 and 2020 seasons both ended with stints on the injured reserve list; once with a foot injury and the other time with an undisclosed injury. He played in just five games over the last two years, but the 6-foot, 180-pound corner says he’s ready to do whatever is asked of him in order to make the team’s roster.

“I’m hungry and ready and willing to put in the work to contribute to the team in any way,” Stroman told the team’s official website.

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Moore: Background, Injury History & Stats

Another former seventh-round selection (the Seattle Seahawks took him 226th overall in 2017), Moore, 27, attended East Central University, a Division II school. He should add some nice depth to the Bears’ wide receivers room.

The 6-foot, 215-pound wideout has 78 career catches for 1,163 yards (14.9 yards per catch) and 13 TDs in 47 games and 14 starts. He also has experience as a returner, returning 25 punts for an average of 8.8 yards per return. He spent his first four seasons with the Seahawks, serving as WR3 for Russell Wilson, before dividing his time between the Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos in 2021.

Moore has a clean injury history, which is a plus.

“It’s just a blessing,” Moore said about signing with the Bears. “I’ve been at the house just hoping, waiting on a call, just an opportunity to get a chance to play football. The week was going great and I had high hopes, and then after practice they told me to wait around, that they were going to sign me.”


Davenport: Background, Injury History & Stats

A fourth-round pick for the Houston Texans out of Bucknell in 2017, the massive, 6-foot-7, 312-pound O-lineman spent his first two seasons with the Texans before spending his 2019-20 campaigns with the Miami Dolphins. He played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, so the 27-year-old Davenport also has a connection to Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

Davenport has played in 60 games over the last five seasons, starting 32.

A hyperextended knee and a cracked fibula limited him to eight starts for Miami in 2019, but other than that, he has a relatively clean injury history. In a reserve role for Indy last year, Davenport played 143 snaps at left tackle and 134 snaps at RT, allowing 20 pressures, four QB hits and four sacks, per PFF.

None of the three players will likely be starters next season, but the three are nice depth signings and may give the Bears a tad more flexibility when the draft arrives on April 28.

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