Chicago Bears don’t claim any players off waivers, sign Downers Grove’s Scott Daly to practice squad

LAKE FOREST – The Chicago Bears did not claim any players off waivers Wednesday.

The team finalized its initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but the roster is never complete. NFL teams had until 11 a.m. Wednesday to put in waiver claims on any players that other teams released to waivers Tuesday.

The Bears, though, did not see any players worth claiming. It’s a stark difference from two years ago, when the team claimed six players who were cut from other teams. That’s a testament to how far the Bears’ roster has come over the past two years. In 2022, there were half a dozen players cut from other teams who appeared to be upgrades for the Bears.

That is no longer the case.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles said months ago that the 53-man roster in Chicago would be a tough roster to make, and his prediction was correct. The Bears are much deeper than Poles’ first team in 2022, which finished with the worst record in the NFL at 3-14.

While the Bears didn’t claim any players off waivers, they did lose a player who they likely wanted on their practice squad. Tight end Brenden Bates out of Kentucky signed as an undrafted rookie with the Bears this spring. Bates didn’t make the 53-man roster Tuesday. A day later, the New York Jets claimed Bates off waivers.

The Bears kept only three players at the tight end position: Cole Kmet, Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis. Bates is primarily a blocking tight end, a job that Lewis will likely handle in 2024.

Bears begin assembling practice squad

After players cleared waivers Wednesday, NFL teams began building their practice squads. Teams can keep an additional 16 players on the practice squad, plus one more if they sign a player from the NFL’s international program.

The Bears will reportedly sign undrafted rookie quarterback Austin Reed and veteran long snapper Scott Daly to the practice squad, per multiple reports.

Reed spent the offseason with the Bears and took a central role on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” this month. He served as the fourth-string QB during camp.

Daly grew up in Downers Grove and spent the past three seasons with the Detroit Lions. He has appeared in 42 games with the Lions. Daly, 30, went to Downers Grove South and played college ball at Notre Dame. He was a rookie tryout with the Bears in 2017 but didn’t earn a contract. He played in both the XFL and the Alliance of American Football before signing with the Lions in 2021.

Bears long snapper Patrick Scales is expected to miss at least a month with a back injury. Daly will likely be called up to the active roster ahead of the Sept. 8 season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

Daly’s signing has not been announced by the team yet, but 14 other practice squad additions are now official.

In addition to Reed, the Bears signed the following players to the practice squad: linebacker Micah Baskerville, guard Theo Benedet, tight end Stephen Carlson, defensive tackle Byron Cowart, offensive tackle Jake Curhan, receiver Collin Johnson, safety Quindell Johnson, linebacker Carl Jones, defensive end Jamree Kromah, defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory, safety Tarvarius Moore, cornerback Reddy Steward and cornerback Ro Torrence.

Bears re-sign Blasingame

Late Wednesday afternoon, the Bears officially placed Scales, the long snapper, on injured reserve. Players on injured reserve must miss at least four games before they can be re-activated.

In a corresponding move, the Bears re-signed fullback Khari Blasingame.