Roster Move: Bears sign tight end Thomas Gordon, waive tight end

David Banks - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

We are officially four days away from the Chicago Bears' first playoff game, and with that comes a season filled with anticipation and excitement. This week also marks the joint practice portion of training camp, as most teams are 10-12 days into camp at this point.

That is where the Chicago Bears are currently at as they will be taking the field for day 13 of Training Camp on Wednesday as they continue to prepare for the preseason games ahead. With that preparation comes the roster signings that go unnoticed, as teams still can add players to their roster for camp.

While most of the players never make the team and are only seen as camp bodies, it doesn't hurt to have as many players in camp, at least for this time of year, knowing that injuries are going to happen.

Wednesday saw the Bears add a player to the offensive side of the ball as tight end Thomas Gordon and the Bears have agreed to a contract and they have waived tight end Jordan Murray.

With Coleston Loveland and Cole Kmet as the top two tight ends on this roster, Gordon is joining an already crowded positional group and is going to have to prove his worth in the next few weeks. It's worth noting that Gordon has already spent some time with the Bears this offseason, as he participated during their rookie mini-camp.

Even though he went unsigned after mini-camp, he still made a big enough impression on the Bears coaching staff; otherwise, why else would they be signing him to a deal this deep into training camp? Gordon is no stranger to the city of Chicago, having spent six seasons with Northwestern University.

During that time, Gordon wasn't used as much as he would've liked, as he finished his tenure with the Wildcats with 54 catches for 529 yards and two scores. That includes a career best 27 catches for 252 yards and one score this past season as Gordon tested the NFL draft waters only to go undrafted.

Now with the Bears, the 6-5, 240-pound tight end will have a few weeks to prove himself to the Bears, while also auditioning for the rest of the league, as he could land on a practice squad somewhere else if the Bears don't keep him. Given the early camp injury to Loveland, you have to view this as a depth piece, as the Bears have had their eye on him since his time during mini-camp.

Unlike a lot of the undrafted rookies who are latching on to try and keep their dream alive, Gordon is hoping he has earned his keep, as he saw some professional action earlier this spring with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL. Although he didn't have a single catch with the Brahmas this spring, getting acclimated to a professional environment is already a huge step, as Gordon knows what it is like to battle for a roster spot.

The Bears weren't alone in inquiring about Gordon as he had at least four other workouts planned over the coming days, but chose to return to the city where he went to college, in Chicago. What is even more ironic about this pickup is that the signing was announced hours after Kmet left the field with an injury, as both of the Bears' tight ends have been banged up this spring.

Granted, Kmet's injury doesn't seem serious, but the Bears are still going to monitor him and take their time with it, so another body was needed to help balance out the workload. Now it will be up to Gordon to capitalize on the chances he will be given and find a way to latch on to this roster, even if he becomes a practice squad guy.