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Bears reach future deals with 9 practice squad players, including rookie fan favorite and someone who could compete for a starting job in 2025

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Kole Noble | Last updated Jan 6, 2025 7:13 PM ET

Despite the season being over, the Chicago Bears were still hard at work on Monday and for good reason, because the work really never ends in the NFL.

The Bears were quickly on top of things in the coaching search to start the week by lining up interviews with multiple different candidates for the team's vacant head coaching position.

While that was going on, the players had their final day in the locker room to clean everything out and speak with the media one last time, for some it will be the final day in the Bears facility as a member of the team.

The Bears have 21 players set to be free agents with the season now over, and another 14 players on the practice squad with expiring contracts. With the practice squad players especially, the team can offer reserve/futures contracts, which allows players to be part of the team's 90-man offseason roster at the start of the new league year.

Teams use these reserve/futures contract to lock in young players on the 90-man roster for the next season who weren't on the active roster before the season ended.

The Bears offered a reserve/futures contract to the following players: offensive linemen Theo Benedet, offensive lineman Ricky Stromberg, offensive lineman Chris Glaser, wide receiver John Jackson, linebacker Carl Jones, defensive lineman Jamree Kromah, quarterback Austin Reed, wide receiver Samori Toure, and tight end Joel Wilson.

We have signed nine players to reserve/future contracts
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 6, 2025

That means the Bears' front office has a lot of faith in these nine players to stick around on the roster going into the new league year and for good reason.

The Bears are going to have to overhaul the offensive line this offseason after what was shown during the 2024 season and keeping three young players on reserve/futures deal will be key. Of these three, only Glaser was active during the regular season (Glaser was elevated from the practice squad in Weeks 16-18).

Benedet and Stromberg never got elevated during the season but it's easy to see how both players can be viewed as developmental guys worth keeping.

Benedet was a fan favorite during the training camp after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent. Hard Knocks especially won the "Canadian Eagle" over in the hearts of Bears' fans. Benedet played just two snaps in the preseason before suffering a hamstring injury that knocked him out for weeks. However, the reviews were always high and the Canadian Eagle will be sticking around.

As for Stromberg, the Bears signed him to the practice squad back in November. The former Arkansas standout was at one point a top prospect at center going into the 2023 NFL Draft. The Washington Commanders selected him in the third-round but waived him prior to the 2024 season. He's a guy with high upside who might be able to get in on the competition for the starting center position this upcoming summer.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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