While the Chicago Bears' first preseason game was productive, it was also costly. Injuries struck their secondary hard, with four new names joining the list of wounded alongside Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. That includes primary backup Terell Smith, putting a severe strain on the team's depth. That made it almost inevitable the team would look to the free agent market for reinforcements. Sure enough, barely 24 hours later, they've made a series of moves to fill out their depth chart.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was first with the details.
The Bears addressed the thinning ranks on Monday when they had eight defensive backs at Halas Hall for a tryout. The club is expected to sign three of them, according to league sources. Safety Mark Perry, cornerbacks Mekhi Garner and Kaleb Hayes are expected to receive contracts and be on the practice field when the team returns to work Wednesday.
Mark Perry attended Colorado and TCU, where he had a decent career before going undrafted last year. He bounced between Miami, Houston, New England, and Tennessee. Mekhi Garner climbed his way from junior college to Division I at Louisiana before finishing at LSU in 2022. He was signed by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent, where he spent two seasons. As for Kaleb Hayes, he had an unremarkable college career at Oregon State and BYU. He's bounced around practice squads in the NFL since 2023.
These moves might be a good sign for the Chicago Bears.
Let's be honest. None of these guys are serious additions. None of them feels like even a remote possibility of making the roster. They look like bodies to help fill training camp spots. That would suggest the Chicago Bears feel relatively confident that their injury situation isn't too severe. There is a strong chance that most of their key names will be back within the next three weeks in time for opening night against Minnesota. Nothing else matters. If any of them were in danger of missing extended time, the Bears would've targeted a more proven veteran. There were plenty of options on the market. This feels like a team merely buying time until their main guys are ready to roll. Week one is the only thing that matters.
