The Chicago Bears are signing a former Green Bay Packers linebacker to the mix just days after ceding the NFC North to their rivals in a loss at Lambeau Field.
According to the team’s transaction wire, the Bears signed linebacker Ty Summers — a 2019 seventh-round pick for the Packers — to fill one of the available spots on their 16-man practice squad before Week 15’s first practice on Wednesday, December 10.
Summers played in 46 games for the Packers over his first three seasons in the league, tallying 52 total tackles (37 solo), a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. While he spent a majority of that time on special teams — about 81.5% of his 1,113 snaps — he recorded a career-high 39 tackles in 2020 during his most extensive run on defense.
Summers also appeared in five games for the Detroit Lions earlier this season, logging just one tackle on his 66 special teams snaps. He did not play a single snap on defense.
The Bears (9-4) will look to get back on track following their 28-21 loss to the Packers when they host the Cleveland Browns (3-10) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 14.
Bears Lost LB on Waivers Before Ty Summers Signing
On the surface, another linebacker signing might not make much sense for the Bears.
After all, Chicago had its healthiest linebacker room in weeks against the Packers with veteran T.J. Edwards (out since Week 9) and Noah Sewell (out since Week 11) making their respective returns to the lineup. Star veteran Tremaine Edmunds is also eligible for activation from injured reserve after this week’s matchup with the Browns.
The reason behind Summers’ signing, however, might be linked to the waiver wire.
The Bears had waived backup linebacker Carl Jones Jr. before taking on the Packers to make room for McFadden’s addition to the 53-man roster. It was the third time since the end of NFL training camp that the Bears have waived Jones, and after each of those two instances, they brought him back to the practice squad once he cleared waivers.
If the Bears intended to do it again, though, the Baltimore Ravens foiled them when they claimed Jones off waivers on December 8 to reinforce their active roster. Chicago would have needed him to clear waivers and become a free agent again to re-sign him; although, the Ravens could have poached him from the practice squad afterward.
Either way, the Bears are back to the same number of linebackers between their 53-man roster and practice squad heading into Week 15’s home game against the Browns.
Bears Also Cut Ties With Ex-Packers OL in Week 15
Before signing Summers, the Bears also cut ties with another former Packers draft pick when they released guard Royce Newman from their practice squad on December 9.
The Bears had signed Newman — a 2021 fourth-round pick — to their practice squad on October 29 to bolster their interior offensive line depth at a time when multiple starters were on the injury report. He played 52 games over his first four seasons and made 24 starts for the Packers in his first three years, though the Bears never called upon him.
The timing of Newman’s departure is a little peculiar. The Bears just signed one of their practice-squad guards, Jordan McFadden, to their 53-man roster to improve depth with rookie Luke Newman (no relation to Royce) on injured reserve. They do, however, still have two more interior linemen — Kyle Hergel and Trey Hill — on their practice squad.
Perhaps the Bears had just seen everything they needed to see from Newman to make a judgment call and ripped off the bandaid. It helps that Chicago’s interior offensive line has been much improved in 2025 with Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson.
Bears Sign Ex-Packers Linebacker After Tough Loss in Green Bay