The Chicago Bears added several players following their rookie minicamp this past weekend, including the previously reported deal for wide receiver Scotty Miller. This shakeup comes well ahead of the team’s first set of organized team activities set to begin later this month.
Two of the Bears’ rookie draft class are garnering attention ahead of the next phase of the offseason, too.
There is also increasing speculation about how Week 1 of the 2026 regular season could shake out, and just who (and where) the Bears may be.
Bears Roster Moves Lead News Roundup
Bears Sign Veteran LB, WR & 3 UDFAs
The Bears announced that they signed four players following tryouts during rookie minicamp, with fellow wideout Kyron Hudson and linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Wayne Matthews III joining Miller on the transaction wire.
Rhattigan, who went to Army, is a Naperville native and a five-year NFL veteran.
He played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025, but has had stints with the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks. He has 50 total tackles in 65 career games.
Matthews is a college free agent who finished his college career with two seasons at Michigan State following three at Old Dominion. Matthews also wrapped up his time in college with 254 combined stops in 47 contests.
Hudson was a player who stood out on the final day of minicamp and has ties to the team.
It is unclear how long any of the four newcomers are for the Bears. Miller is the most proven, but he also played arguably the deepest position.
Bears Duo Lands on Watchlist
Bears rookie second-round draft pick and tight end Sam Roush and fifth-round linebacker Keyshaun Elliott landed on separate watchlists heading into the next phase of the offseason.
ESPN’s Field Yates listed Roush among his list of 20 “Day 2-3 draft picks with instant impact.”
“Roush has an assortment of tight end skills, being a premium athlete for his 6-foot-5, 260-pound size. He figures to assume the valuable TE3 role that Durham Smythe played for the Bears last season, along with being a major special teams factor,” Yates wrote on May 8.
“Roush should see the field plenty considering that Smythe played 25% of Chicago’s offensive snaps and 50% of its special teams snaps in 2025.”
Elliott was a “best value” pick based on “The Beast” draft guide by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
“Elliott might not turn into a three-down, off-ball starter in the NFL, but it’s hard to see a world in which he won’t be at least an early-down rotational piece with starting upside,” The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner wrote on May 11. “A powerful presence in the box who is very hard to fool, Elliott will add value on special teams — and anywhere else he gets an opportunity in Chicago.”
Elliott was Brugler’s 83rd-ranked prospect, and the Bears selected him 166th overall. He joins a reshaped LB group behind projected starters in 2025 free agent signing Devin Bush and 2023 pickup T.J. Edwards.
2026 Schedule Update
Time has whittled down the list of potential opponents for the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. It could very well be the Bears.
Moreover, the Bears are a strong candidate to open the 2026 regular season in Seattle.
That could work out in their favor, as CHGO’s Adam Hoge noted it would afford them more time between games. Hoge also noted that it is the Bears’ only contest West of the central time zone in 2026.
The full NFL schedule is set to release on Thursday, May 14. However, leaks will continue until then as anticipation builds even among the players.
UDFA WR Retires
In a final, unexpected development, Bears rookie minicamp participant Marquise “Squirrel” White was placed on the Reserve/Retired list on Monday. White was an undrafted free agent wideout. He was with Florida State in 2025, but he spent three seasons at Tennessee before that.
He was on the field for the final minicamp practice, but was seen leaving the field with a trainer early.
Teams are not required to provide injury updates at this point in the NFL calendar. However, the NFL has specific rules in place about how these situations are handled.
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