The Chicago Bears needed just a day to reverse course on James Lynch, and now he’s back where he started: on the 53-man roster.
Lynch had been among the players released during the NFL’s roster cutdowns, but Bears reporters said the move was temporary and he would eventually return. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs then reported that Lynch has re-signed with the Bears, with undrafted rookie tight end Hayden Large set to be placed on IR to clear the spot.
That brings Lynch right back into a defensive tackle group that’s being reshaped almost from scratch. If he sticks in the rotation, he’ll be part of a position room that now includes six defensive tackles on the 53-man roster.
Lynch’s preseason stat line shows four tackles, but that barely tells the story of how he looked across those three games. He was active, disruptive and consistently gave the Bears trouble up front.
A former fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft, Lynch has also spent time with the Tennessee Titans. In 71 career games, he has compiled 98 tackles, seven tackles for loss, seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, three pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
The Bears’ current mix at defensive tackle includes both rookies and veterans. Grady Jarrett appears to be one of the starters, while rookie sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg could be the other. Lynch adds another body to a competition that still looks wide open.
It’s also a completely different-looking group from last season. Gervon Dexter Sr. is the biggest name not back from last year after being traded to the Atlanta Falcons.
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