Bears make several roster moves |
Dustin Riese
· · 1 day ago
It has been a busy 48 hours for the Chicago Bears as they continue to navigate the NFL season. After losing Dayo Odeyingbo for the season due to a ruptured Achilles, the Bears turned around to replace him by making a trade with the Cleveland Browns. In comes Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and a seventh-round pick, as the Bears traded a sixth-round pick to the Browns to get the job done.
Shoyinka may not be the impact deal the Bears were hoping for, but at the very least, he will give the Bears some pass-rushing depth, which has been an issue for this team. Losing Odeyingbo wasn't the only injury that the Bears sustained this week, as Offensive Lineman Ricky Stromberg has been designated to the Practice Squad and then was later added to the Reserve/Injured List. Talk about a team going through a rash of injuries and not being able to get away from them. The Bears' depth has certainly been put to the test this season as they have been one of the more injured teams in the league. With a spot on the practice squad officially open with Stromberg being placed on the Reserve list, the Bears didn't waste any time filling that spot as Offensive Lineman Kyle Hergel has agreed to a contract with the Bears and is now on their practice squad. The Canadian-born Hergel has bounced around since going undrafted in 2024, but did manage to get drafted in the first round of the CFL draft later that season. Since being drafted in the CFL, Hergel had the opportunity to sign with an NFL club, as he spent the entire 2024 season with the New Orleans Saints. That alone gives him some minimal connection with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was the Saints coach during Hergel's time in New Orleans. At 6-2 and 315 pounds, Hergel is of good size for an offensive lineman and is versatile enough to move all over the line to be put in the best position possible to succeed. That versatility came into play with the Saints last season, as Hergel managed to see action in eight games. Although not a household name compared to some of the practice squad players the Bears have signed, Hergel is a familiar face around Chicago, as he worked out for the Bears earlier this season. This marks the fourth team he has tried out for in 2025, and now that he is on the practice squad, look for him to give it his all to try and land on this team permanently. Hergel is one of those guys who will always be seen as a depth piece and will most likely only be given an opportunity should injuries arise. The Bears are a badly injured team right now, which is why he signed with their practice squad. However, for him to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, far more injuries would need to occur. No one is going to wish that on anyone, as the Bears will be in serious trouble if Hergel is someone they need to count on going forward. This is just another one of the many depth signings that Ryan Poles has made this season, and now that the trade deadline is over, he could make plenty more of these moves the rest of the way. Press release: The Chicago Bears on Tuesday acquired defensive lineman Joe Tryon-Shoyinka via trade with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears acquired Tryon-Shoyinka and a 2026 seventh-round selection from the Browns, which Cleveland initially obtained from Philadelphia via Jacksonville, in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round selection. Additionally, Chicago placed defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo on Reserve/Injured, placed offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg on Reserve/Injured; Practice Squad and signed offensive lineman Kyle Hergel to the club's practice squad. Tryon-Shoyinka has appeared in 74 career regular-season games, starting 45 along the defensive front, for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021-24) and the Cleveland Browns (2025). Entering the league as a first-round selection by Tampa Bay (32nd overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft, Tryon-Shoyinka has accumulated 138 total tackles (86 solo), including 15.0 sacks and 21 total tackles for loss, as well as two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and eight passes defensed. In the postseason, Tryon-Shoyinka has six games played (one start), all with the Buccaneers, totaling nine tackles, including one sack. A native of Renton, Wash., Tryon-Shoyinka played collegiately at Washington, totaling nine sacks in 25 games played over two seasons of action (2018-19), including eight sacks in 2019 en route to earning second-team all-conference recognition.
