The Chicago Bears are fighting a battle of postseason injury attrition ahead of their Divisional Round matchup with the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field next Sunday night.
Chicago authored an electric second-half comeback against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round, but rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo and linebacker/defensive captain TJ Edwards were casualties of the victory.
The Bears replaced their two injured starters with veteran additions on Tuesday, January 13.
🏈Placed T.J. Edwards and Ozzy Trapilo on IR. 🏈Activated Braxton Jones from IR. 🏈Signed Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the active roster.
“Bears’ roster moves: Placed TJ Edwards and Ozzy Trapilo on IR. Activated Braxton Jones from IR. Signed Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the active roster,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported via X.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin Adds Depth to Bears’ Defense, Special Teams Unit
GettyChicago Bears linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Reeves-Maybin, who has spent most of his nine-year NFL career with the Detroit Lions, was a Pro Bowler and a second-team All-Pro in 2023 for his role on special teams.
He has appeared in three games for the Bears this year in his age-30 campaign. Chicago re-signed Reeves-Maybin to the practice squad ahead of the team’s Round 1 playoff contest against Green Bay.
Reeves-Maybin has five seasons on his resumé in which he’s played triple-digit snaps on defense, as well as two more in which he came close to that mark. Every season prior to 2024, he was a special teams regular.
However, Reeves-Maybin has seen less action this year on both defense (zero snaps) and special teams (50 snaps) than ever before in his career. That said, he offers the Bears’ linebacking group some extra depth after Edwards went down with a fractured fibula against the Packers last Saturday night.
Braxton Jones Unlikely to Start Against Rams, Should Play Critical Reserve Role Given History of Experience
GettyChicago Bears left tackle Braxton Jones.
Jones has played in six games for the Bears this season (four starts) as he battled an ankle injury early in the year before losing his starting left tackle role to Theo Benedet, an undrafted free agent in 2024. Jones then hit injured reserve (IR) twice due — once in October and once in December — due to problems with his knee.
A fifth-round pick in 2022, Jones started all 40 games he played during his first three seasons in the league and has started 44 of 46 games total. The team opened his 21-day practice window ahead of the playoff game against Green Bay and officially activated him Tuesday.
Benedet is likely to move into the starting role, but Jones will serve as a critical reserve who adds depth and insurance to the rebuilt group following Trapilo’s season-ending patellar injury. Chicago fielded the third-best offensive line in the league this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
“The Bears’ offensive line gave up a league-high 37 sacks in 2024, but the revamped unit surrendered only 13 sacks in 2025,” PFF’s Zoltán Buday wrote January 7. “Chicago allowed just 145 pressures on 643 snaps, leading to an 87.7 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which ranked third in the NFL this season.”
Joe Thuney was a Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro at left guard, while center Drew Dalman also made the Pro Bowl. Right tackle Darnell Wright, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, earned second-team All-Pro honors in his third professional campaign.
Bears Add Recent Pro-Bowl LB, Former OL Starter to Roster After Trapilo, Edwards Injuries