The Chicago Bears watched a couple of their roster cuts over the weekend land with competing NFL teams on Monday, but that was not the case with former Minnesota Vikings defensive tackle James Lynch.
Lynch rejoined the Bears, not as a member of the practice squad but as part of the 53-man roster, per a report from Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
“#Bears have re-signed DL James Lynch to the 53-man roster,” Biggs wrote on X. “There are more moves to come today. Spaces can be cleared with S Coby Bryant and TE Hayden Large going to IR.”
Lynch is now the sixth defensive tackle on the main roster, even after Chicago traded arguably the best player in the position group over the weekend when it sent Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for cornerback Clark Phillips III and a fifth-round draft pick.
Gervon Dexter Sr. Was Outlier in Bears’ Defensive Tackle Room
Jacob Infante of Windy City Gridiron took to social media Monday following the signing of Lynch to point out the similarities between all six defensive tackles and one primary difference that made Dexter stand out, literally.
“The height of each DT on the #Bears 53-man roster:
- Grady Jarrett: 6’1″
- Neville Gallimore: 6’2″
- Jordan van den Berg: 6’3″
- Kentavius Street: 6’2″
- Jayden Loving: 6’1″
- James Lynch: 6’4″
“It’s clear Dennis Allen has a type and that Gervon Dexter (6’6″) didn’t fit,” Infante wrote.
Lynch, the tallest of the remaining bunch and a three-year veteran of the rival Vikings (2020-22), is also theoretically the last DT on the depth chart. Sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg may start come Week 1, while Jayden Loving made the initial 53-man roster Sunday as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Wake Forest.
Lynch spent the last two seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans. Across five years in the NFL, the defensive tackle has appeared in 71 games but earned only four starts. He has tallied 98 combined tackles, including seven tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three pass breakups.
Bears’ Defensive Line Interior Will Be Clogged With Players Hunting Snaps This Season
The number of DTs on the Bears’ roster should make for interesting discussions regarding the rotation and playing time. And the presence of defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo on the interior of the defensive front during suspected passing downs will complicate that conversation further.
Odeyingbo joined the Bears on a three-year deal worth $48 million ahead of the 2025 season. He was generally underwhelming before tearing his Achilles midway through the campaign and missing the remainder of the season.
However, Odeyingbo is back healthy and the team intends to start him on the outside then rotate him inside to enhance its pass rush up the middle when the defense expects opposing quarterbacks will drop back to pass.
Dexter was second on the team with six sacks last season, finishing behind only edge-rusher Montez Sweat with 10 sacks. Odeyingbo will be a big part of the Bears’ plan to pick up that slack in Dexter’s absence, while Austin Booker will be the pass-rush specialist on the outside who fills in for Odeyingbo when he moves to the interior.