The Chicago Bears are gearing up to face the Green Bay Packers and shaking up their roster in the process.
Their latest tweaks appear to be out of necessity, but the end result is that the Bears added a former All-Pro back into the mix for their postseason stay, however long it lasts, in veteran Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
A familiar face with his pedigree is a promising addition at this stage of the campaign.
Bears Re-Sign All-Pro LB in Roster Shuffle Before Packers Wild Card Game
Jalen Reeves-Maybin Rejoins Bears’ Roster
The Bears announced with a post on X on Thursday that they “signed LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the Practice Squad.”
Reeves-Maybin, who turns 31 at the end of the month, initially signed with the Bears in November, ahead of their Week 12 tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in three games for the Bears this season, logging 2 total tackles in a special teams role.
The Bears released Reeves-Maybin in Week 16, before the second game against the Packers.
Reeves-Maybin was the No. 124 overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions and had a history with Bears head coach Ben Johnson before joining the Bears.
He was a Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro on special teams with the Lions during the 2023 campaign, which ended up being his and Johnson’s second-to-last season in Detroit. Now, they reunite again in Chicago for the postseason.
Unfortunately, Reeves-Maybin’s return to the Bears was born at least partially out of necessity.
Bears Lose Ex-Packers Defender
The Bears also announced that they “placed LB Ty Summers on Practice Squad/Injured Reserve,” which is the corresponding move for adding Reeves-Maybin back to the roster.
Summers is a former Packers draft pick, taken in the seventh round of the 2019 draft with the 226th overall selection. He suffered an injury early on in the Bears’ regular-season finale against the Lions, another one of his former teams
The Bears suffered a rash of injuries at LB earlier this season.
T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds both missed multiple games, while the Bears’ depth also navigated various ailments.
Summers originally signed with the Bears on December 10. That was three days after their Week 14 matchup against Green Bay. He did not get into a game until the finale, underscoring the unfortunate nature of his injury.
Bears Could Get Big Boost vs Packers
The Bears are healthy at the top of their linebacking corps, and they could get a boost in the secondary with Kyler Gordon’s potential return.
That would be significant. His fill-in, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, is in concussion protocol.
The Bears’ roster can and likely will change again before they take the field against the Packers on Saturday for their NFC Wild Card Playoffs game, but they will be hard-pressed to find a replacement of Reeves-Maybin’s caliber at other positions and/or roles.