The Chicago Bears kept working to patch up a secondary that has been hit hard in training camp, adding veteran safety Xavier Woods and then moving again to bring in two more defensive backs.
On Friday, the Bears announced the signings of Brandon Hill and William Wright. To create roster space, they also announced the releases of defensive backs K.C. Eziomume and Gervarrius Owens with an Injury designation.
The additions came after Owens and Dallis Flowers were injured earlier in the week. Flowers was placed on IR, while Owens was cut.
Coby Bryant was the major injury that led to be signed. Hill and Wright then joined Woods as the latest new faces in the secondary after working out with the team on Friday.
Hill has appeared in just two NFL games, both with the Houston Texans in 2023, and he did not record a stat. Wright has spent time with the Denver Broncos but has not played in an NFL game.
For Chicago, these are depth moves first and foremost. Hill and Wright are the kind of additions that have to fight just to stay in the picture, whether that means surviving cut day or landing on the practice squad.
Woods is in a different lane. He’s entering his 10th season in the NFL and has started more than 100 games, which gives him a much stronger path to the 53-man roster.
The bigger storyline is the safety battle that’s now taking shape over the next four weeks. Woods and Cam Lewis are competing for the other starting job next to rookie Dillon Thieneman.
That still leaves the rest of the safety room unsettled, and the Bears are clearly leaning on young players to handle backup snaps. Hill and Wright don’t bring much NFL mileage, so their odds of making the roster are low right now, though the preseason can always shake things up fast.
It’s not the kind of situation the Bears wanted in camp. They were hoping for healthier, more stable play from the safeties. Instead, they’re turning over the room and hoping one of these new additions can turn into the next Nahshon Wright to step up and help.
In Other News...
Bears Training Camp Depth Takes Another Hit At The Worst Time
Training camp is already thin enough for the Bears in the secondary, and Tuesdays red-zone work only added to the concern. Tyrique Stevenson and Luther Burden both got hurt in the same drill and had to be evaluated by the team trainer, another jolt for a roster group that has been losing defensive backs to injuries throughout camp.
Stevenson seemed to be dealing with a right hip or tailbone issue before heading back onto the field, which at least offered one small sign of relief. Burdens situation looked more troublesome in the moment, with the young receiver limping off with the trainer, leaving Chicago to monitor a camp session that was supposed to be about competition but instead became another reminder of how quickly depth can disappear. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Rookie Jordan Van Den Berg Is Crashing A Crowded Position Battle
Jordan Van Den Berg has quietly turned himself into one of the more interesting names in Bears camp. The sixth-round rookie defensive tackle missed time with an injury, but he is back on the field and getting work as Chicago sorts through a deep interior line group. With Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett penciled in as the starters, and Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore serving as the primary backups, Van Den Berg is finding a way to make his presence felt in a crowded room.
For a rookie trying to carve out a role, the challenge is not just getting healthy, but staying in the mix long enough to matter. Van Den Bergs return gives the Bears another body to evaluate as they sort out the bottom of the depth chart, and the decisions around Shemar Turner and James Lynch could help determine how much room there is for him. If he keeps stacking productive days in camp, the competition up front could get a little tighter for everyone else. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Left Tackle Worries Are Putting Caleb Williams In A Tough Spot
Training camp has already turned the Bears left tackle spot into one of the rosters most uneasy questions, and that matters plenty for Caleb Williams. Injuries and performance concerns have left Chicago searching for stability on the edge of its offense, the kind of protection issue that can ripple through everything the quarterback is asked to do before the games even start.
One name floating into the conversation is Taylor Decker, the veteran recently released by Detroit and still unsigned. He brings the kind of familiarity and experience that could help settle the position, but the Bears are working with only about $8.1 million in cap space, which leaves the idea of a deal tied to whether Decker would consider a reduced, incentive-based contract. For now, it is another reminder that Chicagos solution at left tackle may be as much about finances as football. [Read more 🡒]