Bears host seven players in workouts |
Dustin Riese
· · 7 hours ago
Desperate times call for desperate measures, and the Bears are getting increasingly desperate in their efforts to field a fully equipped roster. As the injuries continue to pile up for this team, Chicago is grasping for straws when it comes to who gets elevated from the Practice Squad to the Active Roster, as the Bears don't have enough healthy bodies right now.
You have already seen the Bears attempt to address this issue this week by adding Jonathan Garvin to their practice squad one day ahead of signing CJ Gardner-Johnson, but that might only be the start of what could be a busy next few days. According to reports, the Chicago Bears spent most of their Tuesday practice working out players from outside the organization, as seven players came to Halas Hall in an effort to make the practice squad. What comes from these workouts is anyone's guess, but to see that many players working out this late in a season goes to show you where the Bears' roster currently stands. Of the seven players, three were on defense, with four coming on offense, with all four occupying the offensive line. Here is a breakdown of who was in Halas Hall attempting to make this team:
Given the Bears' struggles to get after the quarterback and seeing two more of their front seven go down with injuries, it was clear that the Bears would try to add to that area of the defense. Getting Austin Booker back will help, but Jeremiah Martin is also a name to look at, especially coming off the workout he had. The former Washington Husky went undrafted in 2023, but has since had two stints with the Cleveland Browns (2023, 2024), spent some time with the New York Giants (2023-24), dabbled with the Green Bay Packers (2024), and made a stop with the New Orleans Saints (2025). Martin has yet to play in an NFL game, as this would be one of those practice-squad-only pickups.
In those games, Weaver has done a great job, picking up 29 tackles and 5.5 sacks, which alone shows the potential he has on the field. At 6-4 and nearly 260 pounds, Weaver has the ideal size to step into an Edge rushing role with Booker to give the Bears some much-needed pass rush help, potentially.
Another linebacker hoping to make the Bears as a depth piece is DJ Johnson. Another highly touted prospect during his college days, Johnson was a third-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2023 and has since appeared in 31 games, including four this season. While he registered only 0.5 sacks in those 31 games, Johnson finished with 62 combined tackles, including 44 in 2024. With nine career sacks in college, including six in his final season with the Ducks, it would be interesting to see the type of player he could become should someone give him a more pronounced role on the defense. If you had to guess, Weaver or possibly Johnson would be the best options if the Bears were to add one of these players, but what about the rest of the players who came into Halas Hall to work out? As mentioned, the remaining four hail from the offensive side of the ball and all play on the line, which is something the Bears know they can utilize more effectively.
The first thing you notice when you see the 30-year-old Barton is just his sheer size of 6-7, as he is one of the bigger tackles in today's game. A seventh-round pick (240th overall) by the Indianapolis Colts in 2019, Barton has 13 games of playing experience under his belt with the Las Vegas Raiders (8 games from 2021-22) and Arizona Cardinals (2023-24). He also started two games for the Cards in 2024 and was part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ organization in 2019, when the team won Super Bowl LIV, which is a significant reason he was brought in for a workout. Barton was on the Chiefs at the same time Ryan Poles was, and you have to wonder if that connection alone played a role in his decision to come to Halas Hall.
While Center may not be a position of need for this team, should Drew Dalman go down with an injury, the Bears don't have much depth behind him. That is where adding Hanson could come into play for this team. Another big man for his position, Hanson stands at 6-4 and weighs in at around 305 pounds, utilizing his size to his advantage. Another veteran who has been around for a while, Hason was taken in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers and has spent time with both the Packers and the Jets. Since coming into the league in 2020, Hanson has 30 games (7 starts) of playing experience with the Packers (11 games from 2021-22) and New York Jets (19 games from 2023-24).
While the Guard spot is a much-improved area of the line with Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney now a part of the Bears' line, Chicago has still seen some overall struggles from that area on the line. Adding the 28-year-old Newman may not solve the issues they have had, but at 6-5 and 310 pounds, he would, at the very least, provide a physical backup to lean on. Another former Packer, Newman, has had a much better NFL career than most of the players being brought in as the 2021 fourth-round pick, who has appeared in 52 games to date. 24 of those games as a starter, as he spent time with both Green Bay and Tampa Bay.
Last but not least, we have offensive tackle Andrew Stueber, another player with previous NFL experience. The massive 6-7, 338-pound Stueber is the ideal size for an offensive lineman, as the former Michigan Wolverine was a seventh-round pick by the Patriots in 2022. Stueber was later traded to the Bengals, where he saw action in all seven of his games, including his lone start as a player. If any of these seven players teach us anything, it's that the Bears know where their holes are on this team and are looking to plug them in any way possible.Jeremiah Martin (DE, Washington)
Rashad Weaver (LB, Pittsburgh)
Another player with a unique pedigree, Weaver is a flyer-deal player who lacks extensive NFL experience. The former Pittsburgh University star was a fourth-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2021 and has since made four starts and appeared in 36 games.
DJ Johnson (LB, Oregon)
Jackson Barton (OT Utah)
Jake Hanson (C, Oregon)
Royce Newman (G, Ole Miss)
Andrew Stueber (OT, Michigan)
