Monitoring new Bears general manager Ryan Poles’ moves:
March 24
11 a.m.: Bills offensive lineman Ryan Bates plans to sign an offer sheet with the Bears, a source confirmed Thursday. Because he’s an unrestricted free agent, the Bills have five days to match the deal and keep him — or let him leave and get nothing in return. Bates started the last three games of the regular season last year plus the Bills’ two playoff games. Four of the starts were at left guard and one was at right guard. He’s considered to have versatility to move all over the line.
March 23
4 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Vikings offensive lineman Dakota Dozier to a one-year contract. He started 16 games in 2020 and has 27 starts over seven seasons. The first four came with the Jets.
9 a.m.: Former Bears safety Deon Bush is signing with the Chiefs.
March 20
5:45 p.m.: The Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with former Titans fullback Khari Blasingame, a source said. The fullback led the way for Derrick Henry and totaled 10 catches for 97 yards and three rushes for six yards over 32 games in Nashville. He went to college in the same city, at Vanderbilt. It’s unclear what role a fullback will play in Luke Getsy’s offense, but Blasingame will have a chance to make an impact.
9 a.m.: Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson is re-signing with the Bears on a one-year contract, a source confirmed. Long a special teams stalwart, Houston contributed on defense last year, intercepting one pass, recovering two fumbles and starting the first three games of his career. A sixth-round draft pick in 2016, Houston-Carson has spent his entire career with the Bears.
March 18
3 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Colts defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. The run-stuffer also had six sacks last year.
11 a.m.: The Bears rescinded their offer to defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi after he failed a physical Thursday and quickly moved on to contingencies.
March 17
7:30 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Chiefs receiver Byron Pringle to a one-year deal, a source confirmed. An undrafted free agent out of Kansas State, Pringle caught 42 passes for 568 yards and five touchdowns last year. New Bears general manager Ryan Poles saw it first-hand as a member of the Chiefs front office.
5:20 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown to a one-year deal, a source confirmed. He played about 26 percent of the Packers’ downs on both offense and special teams last season.
5 p.m.: Running back Damien Williams signed a one-year deal with the Falcons, a source confirmed. Williams had 40 carries for 164 yards, 16 catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns in his lone season with the Bears.
3 p.m.: The Raiders signed offensive lineman Alex Bars, who spent the last three years with the Bears.
2:45 p.m.: Receiver Allen Robinson agreed to join the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and star quarterback Matthew Stafford on a three-year deal worth $46.5 million, with $30.7 million fully guaranteed, a source confirmed. The move ends his four-year Bears career and gives Robinson a long-needed quarterback upgrade.
9 a.m.: Punter Pat O’Donnell, the longest-tenured Bears player, is signing with the Packers, a source confirmed. O’Donnell was drafted by Phil Emery in 2014 and had played with the Bears ever since, working under two GMs and three coaches — not counting Matt Eberflus and Ryan Poles.
March 16
3:15 p.m.: As expected, the Bears cut veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan. Trevathan was part of the Bears’ defensive rebuilding job when arriving in Chicago in 2016 but struggled the past two seasons. Last year, he played in only five games before being put on IR for the second time.
3 p.m.: When the NFL’s league year began, four Bears became free agents: tight end J.P. Holtz, guard Alex Bars, running back Ryan Nall and safety Teez Tabor.
9 a.m.: Former Bears cornerback Artie Burns is signing a one-year deal with the Seahawks, a source confirmed. He’ll join former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai there.
7:15 a.m.: Bilal Nichols, a Bears’ fifth-round pick four years ago, cashed in Wednesday when he agreed to sign a two-year, $11 million deal with the Raiders that featured $9 million guaranteed. Nichols had totaled eight sacks and 22 quarterback hits over the past two years combined. Last season, Nichols recovered two fumbles.
March 15
11:30 p.m.: Bears Pro Bowl return man Jakeem Grant is leaving to sign a three-year, $18 million deal with the Browns
10:30 p.m.: The Bears agreed to terms on a one-year deal with former Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow that can be worth up to $5 million, a source told the Sun-Times. Morrow started 11 games in 2020 but spent last year on injured reserve after hurting his ankle during the preseason.
10:30 p.m.: The Bears are signing former Packers interior offensive lineman Lucas Patrick to a two-year, $8 million deal with $4 million guaranteed, a source confirmed to the Sun-Times. Patrick can play either guard or center for a team that lost James Daniels to the Steelers earlier in the day.
10 p.m.: The Bears are re-signing long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year contract, sources told the Sun-Tines.
10:30 a.m.: Former Bears offensive lineman James Daniels is leaving for the Steelers. Daniels agreed to a three-year, $26.5 million deal Tuesday, NFL Network reported.
Former Bears general manager Ryan Pace drafted Daniels at No. 39 overall in 2018, and he played 54 games over four seasons. The Bears moved him among both guard positions and center, and ultimately he did not impress new general manager Ryan Poles enough to re-sign him.
March 14
4 p.m.: The Bears officially cut defensive tackle Eddie Goldman. Friday, sources said they’d made the decision.
1 p.m.: As new Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to rework the roster, the team is getting younger — and possibly better — on the defensive line.
The Bears agreed to a three-year, $40.5 million deal with former Bengals defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi in the opening hours of free agency Monday, NFL Network reported. He’ll get $26.4 million guaranteed.
March 11
5 p.m.: The Bears claimed running back Darrynton Evans, a third-round pick of the Titans just two years ago, off waivers. He has 16 career rushes for 61 yards.
3:30 p.m.: The Bears also plan to cut nose tackle Eddie Goldman, who had a disappointing 2021 and no longer fit their scheme.
11:30 a.m.: As expected, the Bears told running back Tarik Cohen they would be cutting him with an injury designation about a year-and-a-half after he tore knee ligaments returning a punt against the Falcons.
How do I file for unemployment ? 🥴
— Tarik Cohen (@TarikCohen) March 11, 2022
March 10
4 p.m.: In a franchise-altering move, the Bears agreed to trade edge rusher Khalil Mack, the face of the franchise, to the Chargers for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder. Ryan Poles’ first major move as the Bears’ GM signified the start of a rebuild, while Mack’s Bears career ends as a risk worth taking.
March 8
5 p.m.: The Bears agreed to bring back center Sam Mustipher, tight end Jesper Horsted and guard Lachavious Simmons on one-year deals at the league minimum. All three are exclusive-rights free agents. Players with less than three seasons of experience must accept such contract tenders.
3 p.m.: The NFL’s deadline to apply the franchise tag came and went Wednesday without the Bears making anyone an offer. That means receiver Allen Robinson will hit free agency Monday after playing last year on the tag.
