Chicago Bears free-agency news: Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian released
In his second offseason with the Chicago Bears, general manager Ryan Poles has plenty of salary-cap space to rework a roster that finished 3-14 in 2022.
With the NFL’s new league year now here, allowing free agents to begin signing with new teams, the Tribune will track all of the Bears’ arrivals and departures and provide insight into what they mean.
The free-agency negotiation window opened across the league at 11 a.m. Monday. Unrestricted free agents could finalize deals when the new league year began at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
- Column: After adding 5 new starters, Bears GM Ryan Poles can wait for prices to fall in free agency
- Column: Bears’ aggressive start to free agency has one common thread — young players entering their prime years
- What headline-grabbing move is next? 5 Bears questions before free agency.
- Column: Ryan Poles checked a big box on the Bears’ offseason list with his bold trade. Now comes the hard part.
- Bears trade the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Panthers. Here’s what they got in return.
- Sign up for our free Bears alerts so you don’t miss any news
Thursday
The Bears released backup quarterback Trevor Siemian.
What it means: Siemian, 31, was the backup to starting quarterback Justin Fields in 2022.
He played in two games and made one start in November against the New York Jets when Fields was out with a left shoulder injury. Siemian injured his oblique before that game but still played, completing 14 of 25 passes for 179 yards, a touchdown and an interception. But the Bears placed Siemian on injured reserve after the game as he underwent surgery on his oblique.
The Bears signed quarterback P.J. Walker on Wednesday to be the new backup.
The Bears signed journeyman defensive tackle Andrew Billings, according to his representatives at SportsTrust Advisors.
What it means: To this point the Bears have done little to fortify their defensive line, and the addition of Billings on a one-year, $3.5 million deal gives them a versatile interior defender who has started 51 games during his career.
Billings, 28, entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick out of Baylor in 2016 and spent three years with the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2020 but opted out of that season during the COVID-19 pandemic and played only six games the following year before the Browns waived him. Last season, Billings started 14 games for the Las Vegas Raiders and contributed 39 tackles and a sack.
The Bears are still pushing to add depth and competition to the interior of their defensive line while also hoping to find pass rushing help.
“I feel comfortable between the rest of free agency as well as the draft that we can get that group as good as we possibly can,” general manager Ryan Poles said Thursday. “At the same time, there are going to be some weak spots on our roster where we can’t fix everything.”
Wednesday
The Bears agreed to terms with quarterback PJ Walker on a two-year contract.
What it means: The arrival of Walker likely gives the Bears a new backup to Justin Fields. Walker, 28, started seven games over the previous three seasons for the Carolina Panthers, going 2-3 last season when Sam Darnold was injured. The former Temple standout spent two seasons on the Indianapolis Colts practice squad beginning in 2017 and starred in the USFL for the Houston Roughnecks in 2020 before COVID-19 shortened the season.
After the USFL stint, he reunited with former Temple coach Matt Rhule with the Panthers in 2020 and started one game that season and one in 2021.
Walker’s skill set more closely matches that of Fields as he can be elusive in the pocket, and that might have been attractive to the Bears.
Adding Walker creates doubt about the future of Trevor Siemian, the No. 2 quarterback last season. The former Northwestern QB started the 31-10 road loss to the New York Jets in Week 12 despite suffering an oblique injury in pregame warmups. Siemian wound up having surgery and finished the season on injured reserve. He’s under contract for this season with a base salary of $1.865 million and a $100,000 workout bonus.
Walker’s 2022 season featured one of the top highlights of the season as he completed a 62-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to new Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore in the closing seconds of an October game in Atlanta.
The touchdown tied the score at 34, but Moore removed his helmet on the field in celebration and the 15-yard penalty for that infraction pushed the extra point back to 48 yards. Eddy Pineiro missed, sending the game to overtime, and the Falcons won on a field goal.
The Bears made five free-agent signings and the trade of the No. 1 pick official.
What it means: The new league year began at 3 p.m. Wednesday, and the Bears announced their previously reported deals with linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, offensive lineman Nate Davis and running back Travis Homer, pending physicals. Edmunds agreed to a four-year deal, while Edwards, Walker and Davis are on three-year deals and Homer on a two-year deal.
The Bears also announced the trade of the 2023 No. 1 draft pick to the Carolina Panthers. The Bears received a 2023 first-round pick (No. 9), a 2023 second-round pick (No. 61), a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-round pick and wide receiver D.J. Moore.
“Having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft gave us a tremendous opportunity to take steps forward this season and in our plan of building long term,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement.
“We are excited about the additional picks acquired, including staying in the top ten selections this year, but also the addition of a proven and dynamic playmaker in DJ Moore. We had multiple aggressive offers to consider, but in the end it felt right for both teams in what Panthers GM Scott Fitterer presented and it keeps us in an area of this year’s draft that we really like.”
Poles, Moore and the other free agents are scheduled to speak with reporters Thursday morning at Halas Hall.
Tuesday
Running back David Montgomery is signing a three-year deal with the Detroit Lions, ESPN reported.
What it means: After four seasons with the Bears, Montgomery joins their NFC North rival on a deal reportedly worth $18 million with $11 million guaranteed.
The 2019 third-round pick rushed for 3,609 yards and 26 touchdowns in 60 games for the Bears, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. He also had 155 catches for 1,240 yards and four touchdowns. His best season was 2020, when he topped 1,000 rushing yards and had a career-high eight touchdowns and 4.3 yards per carry.
Montgomery was a favorite of many during his time at Halas Hall because of his work ethic and character. Poles said earlier this offseason he would love to keep the running back in Chicago, but he noted the contract would have to work out.
The Bears return Khalil Herbert, who totaled 731 rushing yards and four touchdowns in 2022, his second season in the league. Herbert’s 5.7 yards per carry was best in the NFL among running backs.
The Bears are signing former Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer, a source confirmed.
What it means: A short time after Montgomery’s deal was announced, news came out that the Bears agreed to add Homer on a two-year deal that ESPN reported is worth a maximum of $4.5 million.
Homer was a sixth-round pick by the Seahawks in 2019. In his first four years, he rushed for 453 yards on 83 carries and had 52 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 18 kickoff returns for 444 yards and a touchdown and 26 special teams tackles.
It remains to be seen if the Bears will add another running back as a complement to Herbert beyond Homer, who has value on special teams as well as offense.
Monday
The Bears are signing former Tennessee Titans defensive end DeMarcus Walker, a league source confirmed.
What it means: Walker, 28, is a six-year NFL veteran coming off a career season with the Titans in which he had seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for a loss in 17 games. He was a second-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2017 and played in 36 games for them with five starts, notching 10½ sacks over four seasons. He had two sacks in 13 games with the Houston Texans in 2021.
Walker’s deal is for three years and $21 million with $16 million guaranteed, a league source said.
The Bears were in desperate need of help at defensive end after totaling just 20 sacks in 2022. Poles traded Khalil Mack last offseason and Robert Quinn at midseason and released Al-Quadin Muhammad last month, leaving limited options at the position. Walker joins a group that includes Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson.
Inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is joining the Bears on a four-year, $72 million deal, a source confirmed.
What it means: The Bears secured another playmaker for a defense in need of them and have guaranteed Edmunds $50 million on a four-year contract agreement. The signing is notable after the organization hit an impasse last fall in its negotiations with linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith was traded to the Baltimore Ravens for a second-round pick and later signed an extension in Baltimore for five years, $100 million with $60 million guaranteed.
Edmunds effectively slots in as Smith’s replacement and is the second starting-caliber linebacker the Bears have added in free agency after they earlier agreed to a three-year contract with T.J. Edwards.
Edmunds, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Buffalo Bills, has made 74 career starts and won’t turn 25 until May. Last season, he had 102 tackles, a sack and an interception. His production was inconsistent over his five seasons with the Bills. But when he was at his best, he showcased impressive athleticism and feel. The Bills were in the mix to re-sign Edmunds and coach Sean McDermott sang his praises.
“To watch him mature and grow on the field and off the field has been a true joy as a coach,” McDermott said at the NFL combine two weeks ago.
The Bears, though, pushed to make Edmunds a big-ticket signing in the first wave of free agency and will welcome the linebacker into Matt Eberflus’ system.
The Bears are signing former Tennessee Titans guard Nate Davis to a three-year deal, a source confirmed.
What it means: Davis’ deal is for $30 million over three seasons with $19.25 million guaranteed.
Davis, 26, started 54 games over four seasons with the Titans, who drafted him in the third round out of Charlotte in 2019. He missed eight games over the last two seasons with COVID-19 and injuries, including ending the 2022 season on injured reserve because of an ankle injury.
The Bears were slated to have left guard Cody Whitehair and right guard Teven Jenkins return this season, so it will be worth watching to see how the addition of Davis impacts those roles. Jenkins found some success in his transition from tackle to right guard in 2022, but he battled injuries throughout the year and started just 11 games. Davis played right guard in Tennessee.
The Bears are signing former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards, a source said.
What it means: Edwards, who went to Lakes High School in Lake Villa and Wisconsin, returns home to the Chicago area. An undrafted rookie in 2019, Edwards went on to start 47 games and play in 61 for the Eagles over four seasons. He had a career-high 159 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, seven passes defended, five quarterback hits and two sacks in 2022.
The Bears are signing Edwards to a three-year, $19.5 million contract with $12 million guaranteed. After trading linebacker Roquan Smith midseason in 2022, the Bears had a big need for a playmaker at the position. They also return linebacker Jack Sanborn, who also played at Wisconsin. Edwards played middle linebacker in Philadelphia, and he likely would play at that position in Chicago too, though the Bears could also try him at the Will position.
Edwards played for an Eagles defense that ranked among the best in the NFL with just 243.7 yards allowed per game, a unit that fueled the team’s run to the Super Bowl. Edwards had six tackles and a pass defended in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Friday
Cornerback Josh Blackwell and defensive lineman Andrew Brown are returning, the Bears announced.
What it means: The Bears tendered one-year contracts to Blackwell and Brown, who were exclusive-rights free agents.
Blackwell, an undrafted rookie out of Duke, was a key special teams player in 2022. He had 23 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He saw time on defense in four games late in the season when injuries depleted the Bears secondary.
Brown joined the Bears in November off the Arizona Cardinals practice squad and played in five games. He has appeared in 28 games over the last four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers and Bears.
Long snapper Patrick Scales is returning to the Bears, his agent tweeted.
What it means: Scales, 35, has been with the Bears since 2015 and hasn’t missed a game in the last five seasons. He returns with a specialist unit that includes kicker Cairo Santos and punter Trenton Gill.
Scales is the longest-tenured Bears player on a roster that Poles has largely turned over.
Wednesday
The Bears are bringing back veteran fullback Khari Blasingame on a two-year extension, according to his agency.
What it means: Blasingame joined the Bears on a one-year deal last season. And while he didn’t receive an offensive touch, he remains well-regarded inside Halas Hall for his intelligence, work ethic and toughness.
As a blocker, Blasingame contributed to a Bears offense that averaged a league-best 177.3 rushing yards per game while setting a single-season franchise record with 3,014 rushing yards. It will be interesting to see how his role evolves or expands in 2023 as coordinator Luke Getsy continues to mold the scheme around the players he has.
The Bears have significant work to do to stabilize their offense and must work through their plans in the backfield with David Montgomery in line to hit the open market next week. But Blasingame’s return was a priority. The veteran fullback spent his first three seasons in Tennessee and will look to carve out a bigger role with the Bears this season.
Feb. 17
The Bears are releasing defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, ESPN reported.
What it means: Muhammad signed a two-year, $8 million contract last spring to join coach Matt Eberflus in Chicago. Muhammad, who is entering his seventh NFL season, was coming off a career year with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021 in which he had six sacks and 13 quarterback hits. But he totaled just 21 tackles, one sack, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble in 16 games with the Bears last season.
The Bears were expected to revamp a defensive line that contributed to just 20 team sacks. Cutting Muhammad, who will be 28 in March, saves nearly $4 million in salary-cap space and comes with just $500,000 in dead cap space, according to Spotrac.
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