The Bears took care of two issues at once with one roster move: they added more help in a battered secondary and, in the process, settled one of training camp’s most closely watched battles.
Chicago announced the signing of defensive back Beanie Bishop, giving the team its fourth defensive back addition in the last few days after a run of injuries. Bishop has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints, and his 2024 line included 45 tackles, seven pass deflections, four interceptions, two tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, one fumble recovery, and a half-sack in 17 games.
To make room, the Bears released long snapper Luke Elkin.
That decision ends a camp competition that had Elkin going head-to-head with Beau Gardner for the starting long snapper job. The move comes as a surprise to many, since Elkin had already been with Chicago and also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders.
For now, the Bears are sticking with the rookie Gardner, who won the Patrick Mannelly Award last year as the nation’s best long snapper and was a first-team All-American at Georgia. That settles one of the main questions of camp and lets Chicago turn its attention to keeping Gardner in sync with Tory Taylor and Cairo Santos.
The secondary, meanwhile, still needs bodies. With Coby Bryant, Cam Lewis, Elijah Hicks, and others sidelined, the Bears have been forced to keep adding depth at safety.
Lewis had been filling in for Bryant, but now Skyler Thomas is filling in for Lewis. Xavier Woods, another new signing, is also expected to compete for the starting safety job.
Bishop’s 2024 production gives him a chance to be more than just another camp arm. Chicago is clearly hoping the latest wave of defensive back signings is enough to stabilize the room, because any more injuries would leave the Bears with far bigger concerns than just losing a few starters.
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