Bears Sign Pro Bowl Specialist, Cut Ties With Former Draft Pick

The Chicago Bears are signing a new replacement long snapper to their practice squad in a series of roster moves at the start of their bye week in Week 7.

According to the team’s transaction wire for October 15, the Bears signed long snapper Jake McQuaide and defensive lineman Jamree Kromah to their 16-man practice squad on Tuesday and released former 2023 draft pick Travis Bell in a corresponding move.

The Bears could turn to McQuaide as their long snapper when they return to action in Week 8 after Scott Daly — their starter for the first six weeks — sustained a knee injury during their 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Daly had been filling in for longtime starter Patrick Scales, who landed on injured reserve after training camp.

McQuaide, 36, is no stranger to NFL long-snapper duties. He played 160 games for the Rams in both St. Louis and Los Angeles over his first 10 seasons in the league, making the Pro Bowl rosters during both the 2016 and 2017 seasons. He also played 21 games for the Dallas Cowboys after leaving the Rams in 2021 during NFL free agency.

Interestingly, this is not the first time a team has signed McQuaide to serve as an injury replacement for Daly. The Detroit Lions a similar move during the 2023 season, adding McQuaide to their practice squad when Daly sustained an injury in November and later signing him to their 53-man roster. He played in nine games for the Lions in 2023.

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How Soon Could Bears Get Patrick Scales Back on Field?

The Bears signing McQuaide to their practice squad signals Daly could miss time with his knee injury, but it remains possible that the team will not need him if they catch a break with Scales and can get him back on the field before October 27’s next game.

Scales sustained a back injury in early August and landed on the injured reserve list on August 28 after the team made its initial 53-man roster cuts. According to The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, Scales then “underwent a minor back surgery to correct a disk injury,” but he added the “hope” was he would only need “around six weeks” to recover.

Nearly seven weeks later, the Bears have still not designated Scales to return from the injured reserve list, but he is eligible for activation whenever his health is in the clear. The Bears will also benefit from having their bye in Week 7, giving them additional time to assess the situation with Scales and determine how necessary McQuaide will be.

For now, McQuaide is the next man up at long snapper for the Bears, but keep an eye on Scales to potentially make his return to the field before Week 8 against Washington.

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Travis Bell’s Return to Bears Cut Short After 3 Weeks

The Bears also made a pair of practice-squad changes to their defensive line on October 15, cutting Bell — their 2023 seventh-round pick — and re-signing the rookie Kromah.

Bell seemed to be getting his second chance with the Bears when the team re-signed him to the practice squad on September 26. He had spent time during his 2023 rookie season on Chicago’s practice squad, but the Atlanta Falcons poached him for their 53-man roster last November, playing him in two games before releasing him again.

Bell did not receive an opportunity to play for the Bears in his return, though. The team chose to instead call upon veteran defensive tackle Byron Cowart as a reinforcement for their defensive line, which has played without Zacch Pickens since Week 2’s loss. Now, he heads back into free agency — and potentially out of Chicago for the last time.

As for Kromah, he initially signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL draft in the spring, spending the offseason and training camp with the team. The Bears waived him at the cut deadline before re-signing him to the practice squad, but the New England Patriots swiped him for their active roster in September.

The Patriots kept Kromah on their 53-man roster for roughly three weeks but did not play him in any games before releasing him on October 8.

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