The Chicago Bears are getting some last-minute reinforcements for Week 16’s divisional showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Saturday Night Football.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears activated veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds from the injured reserve list and elevated wide receiver Maurice Alexander in a pair of roster moves before the 4 p.m. ET deadline ahead of kickoff.
The Bears had only just opened Edmunds’ 21-day activation window this week after he spent the past four games on IR with a groin injury, but he seemed to quickly clear their medical hurdles and upgraded to full participation in practice by the end of Week 16.
Edmunds’ return could provide a significant boon for the Bears defense in their high-stakes rematch with the Packers. He was playing some of the best football of his career before his injury in Week 11, finding a playmaking spark in his move to the WILL role. In 10 games, he has 89 total tackles, four interceptions and nine pass deflections.
Edmunds will take the vacated spot on the 53-man roster that nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon left behind on December 15 when the team placed him on injured reserve.
The Bears (10-4) will face the Packers (9-4-1) at Soldier Field at 8:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 20.
Bears Are Finally Back to Full Strength at Linebacker
For the first time in weeks, the Bears will be full strength at linebacker when they kick off against the Packers under the prime-time lights of Saturday Night Football.
While Edmunds’ four-game absence marked the first time that he had missed time for the Bears since 2023, both veteran T.J. Edwards (MIKE) and Noah Sewell (SAM) have dealt with their own injuries throughout the 2025 regular season, forcing them to rely more heavily on backups, such as D’Marco Jackson and Amen Ogbongbemiga.
Edwards is now back in the lineup and played every defensive snap for the Bears in Week 15’s win over the Cleveland Browns, but he has also missed seven of 14 games for Chicago up to this point in the season, largely because of lingering hamstring issues. He also fractured his right hand and had to undergo surgery to fix it in early November.
Sewell’s injuries have not been as bad, but he has still missed three games — one with a concussion and two with an elbow injury, from which he only just returned in Week 15.
The Bears can only hope those injuries stay in the past as they head into the final three-game stretch of the 2025 season with first place in the division and the NFC on the line.
Maurice Alexander Offers Depth to Banged-Up WR Corps
While Edmunds’ return gives the Bears back one of their top defensive starters, they also made a move to counter their bad run of injuries with Alexander’s promotion.
Alexander — whom the Bears signed to a reserve/future contract in January — earned a spot on the practice squad in 2025 after standing out in training camp and catching nine passes for 71 yards and a receiving touchdown in the three preseason games.
While Alexander has caught just one pass in his four games, he should add emergency depth for a Bears receiving corps that won’t have two of its best against the Packers. Both Rome Odunze (foot) and rookie Luther Burden III (ankle) are already ruled out on the injury report after sitting out the entire short week of practice with their injuries.
Alexander could also help out on special teams as a return specialist. He impressed as a return specialist in the preseason with five returns for 120 net yards, good for 24 yards per return. He also averaged 7.0 yards per punt return on four total attempts.
If used on returns, Alexander could help free up veteran Devin Duvernay to play more receiving snaps against the Bears instead of holding down the return game, as usual.
Bears Make Last-Minute Roster Move at Linebacker Before Packers Game