2026 Chicago Bears Practice Squad Rules and Rumor Tracker
· Yahoo Sports
The NFL’s cut-down deadline is later today at 5:00 pm (CT), but several teams have already gotten an early start in whittling their offseason roster down to 53 players. Clubs can’t establish their 16-man practice squads until the claiming period for players placed on waivers expires at Noon (CT) tomorrow (8/31), but plenty of rumors about players teams want back will be floating around before then.
If you want to catch up on any Chicago Bears news, you can check out our 53-Man Roster Transaction Tracker.
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Here are the qualifications for practice squad eligibility.
- A 17th player is permitted as long as he qualifies for the NFL’s International Pathway Program.
- Players with no accrued seasons (rookies) and those with fewer than nine regular-season games in their lone accrued season.
- A maximum of ten players are allowed who have earned no more than two accrued seasons.
- Up to six players with unlimited accrued seasons are permitted on the practice squad.
- However, the number of players in the last two categories cannot exceed 10 total players.
Teams can elevate up to two practice squad players for each game, but they can still only have 48 players active on game day. After each game, the elevated player(s) will revert to the practice squad without having to pass through waivers. A player can be elevated up to three times a season, but a fourth would require him to be signed to the 53-man active roster. If they want to place him back on the practice squad, they’d need to release him and have him clear waivers. If that happens, the club could elevate him three more times.
Another point to keep in mind about the practice squad is that all these players are free agents.
They can negotiate and sign to another team’s active roster without being blocked by their current employer. The current club can make a counteroffer, but if the practice squadder wants to leave, he’s gone. If a player is signed away, his new team must keep him on its 53-man roster for at least three weeks; if he’s released before then, he reverts to his previous team. Players signed to another active roster are also guaranteed three weeks’ salary.
Also, a practice squad player can’t sign with his team’s upcoming opponent unless it’s done six days before the upcoming game or ten days prior if his team is on its bye week.
Bears Practice Squad Tracker- Bears expected to sign wideout Scotty Miller. (link)
- Bears are expected to bring running back Salvon Ahmed back for the practice squad. (link)
- The Bears are signing former Vikings RB Zavier Scott. (link)
- The Bears are signing former 2024 Cardinals 5th-round pick Christian Jones, OT, to the practice squad. (link)
- The Eagles just announced 13 signings to their practice squad, and Kiran Amegadjie wasn’t among them.
- The Bears have reportedly made some moves to the 53-man roster, so we’ll update that accordingly HERE.
- The Eagles are signing former Bears OT Kiran Amegadjie to their practice squad. (link)
- Bears are signing the Vanilla Gorilla, Caden Barnett, to the practice squad. (link)
- UPDATE: Waivers have been processed, and the Bears claimed no one; the only player the Bears waived who was claimed was UDFA OT Mason Murphy by the Saints.
- Brad Biggs believes that the Bears could bring veteran DE Marcus Davenport back to the practice squad.
- You can find the list of the players the Bears have waived and released on Sunday right here.
- The Bears have waived running back Salvon Ahmed, and he’s a likely candidate to be back on the practice squad. (link)
- Per Brad Biggs, the Bears could bring wideout JP Richardson and safety Marlen Sewell back to the practice squad.
- The Bears are waiving UDFA OL Cade “Vanilla Gorilla” Barnett, and if he clears waivers, he’s expected back on the practice squad. (link)
- With left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. waived by Chicago, it’s believed they want him back for the practice squad. (link)
Much like the UDFA frenzy that occurs after the NFL Draft, a team’s practice squad isn’t official until it is announced. And once the Bears announce theirs, we’ll share it here at Windy City Gridiron.
The Bears are set to play the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, and our partners at FanDuel Sportsbook have the visiting Bears as a 2.5-point favorite. The point total over/under is 47.5, with the moneyline for the Bears at -154. They also have a 2-leg Same Game Parlay of the Over at 47.5 and the Bears -2.5 at +230.