The Chicago Bears announced a roster move on Saturday leading up to their Week 15 matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
The team has signed linebacker DeMarquis Gates off of the practice squad for Sunday's game. Gates has previously been elevated from the practice squad in three separate occasions this season meaning the Bears were forced to officially sign Gates to the active roster in order for him to play.
The Bears did have an extra spot on the 53-man roster to utilize after placing defensive end Yannick Ngakoue on the injured reserve with a broken ankle earlier in the week.
Gates will continue to provide some much needed special teams help for the Bears, especially after ruling out rookie linebacker Noah Sewell. Gates was elevated in Weeks 11-12 in place of Sewell who also missed those games with a knee injury. The third game Gates appeared in for the Bears was in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears second-year linebacker played 60+ percent of the team's special teams snaps in each game he was called up for. Gates even made an impactful play in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions recovering a forced fumble on kickoff duties in the third quarter. The Bears went on to score five plays later to take the lead.
Gates has primarily been a special teams player for the Bears but spent time with the USFL, CFL, XFL and AAF. In 2022, Gates was named to the All-USFL team after totaling 68 tackles, 6.5 sacks and one interception for the championship-winning Birmingham Stallions.
Gates joined the Bears prior to the 2022 season. In the first week of the 2022 preseason, the Bears faced the Browns in a game in which Gates recorded three combined tackles. We'll see if Gates can once again come up in a big way for the team's special teams unit in Week 15.
More must-reads: