🔥 BREAKING: Bears Sign Former Packers Starting OL After Braxton Jones Move — Could This Be the Key to Strengthening Chicago's Offensive Line?

Bears Sign Ex-Packers Starting OL After Move With Braxton Jones

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New Bears offensive lineman Royce Newman.

The Chicago Bears have brought in a former Green Bay Packers starter to help bolster their offensive line after losing Braxton Jones to injury last week.

According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears signed former Packers guard Royce Newman — a 2021 fourth-round pick — to their practice squad on Wednesday in a series of roster moves that added players both to the 53-man roster and the reserves.

Newman played 52 games at primarily right guard over his three seasons in Green Bay, making 16 starts and playing on a team-high 1,084 offensive snaps as a rookie in 2021. He also appeared in one game in 2024 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though he played an emergency backup role and only saw the field for three total offensive snaps.

The Bears placed Jones, one of their most experienced offensive linemen, on the injured reserve list with a knee injury last Saturday before taking on the Baltimore Ravens. He will miss a minimum of three more games, putting him out until at least late November.

While Newman is a guard, not a tackle, the Bears may prefer having his experience on hand as they figure out how best to adjust to Jones’ absence. They may also simply want more time to evaluate the 28-year-old and whether he can add anything to their ranks.

The Bears (4-3) will next play the Cincinnati Bengals (3-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Royce Newman Made 24 Starts at Guard for Packers

Newman is an intriguing addition for the Bears’ practice squad, both because of his starting experience and his time spent with their biggest rivals in the NFC North.

The Packers tossed Newman into the fire during his rookie season. David Bakhtiari‘s ACL injury had forced them to kick out left guard Elgton Jenkins to left tackle, leaving Jon Runyan Jr., Lucas Patrick and Newman to contend for the two starting guard jobs. Ultimately, Newman won out over Patrick on the right side and started on Day 1.

While Newman started 16 games for the Packers in 2021, though, he had his fair share of struggles. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed six sacks, five quarterback hits and 32 total pressures as a pass-blocker trying to keep veteran Aaron Rodgers upright. He played better as a run-blocker, but he lacked the consistency of a top performer.

Even still, Newman seemed to hold some promise for the Packers entering 2022, but his poor performance eventually started to chip away at his playing time. He began his second season as the Packers’ starting right guard again, but they benched him after just six starts. His snap count dropped to 451 in 2022 and further to 183 in 2023.

By the end of 2024’s camp, the Packers had seen enough, putting him on waivers.

Whether the Bears can get more out of Newman remains to be seen. At the very least, though, he should provide them with another layer of depth for the immediate future.

Bears Also Signed Ex-Packers DE Jonathan Garvin

Newman is not the only ex-Packer who joined the Bears’ practice squad this week.

The Bears also signed former Packers pass rusher Jonathan Garvin to their practice squad on Wednesday, coincidentally giving him the roster spot that another former Packer (Jonathan Ford) vacated when he signed to the Bears’ active roster last week. The Bears had hosted Garvin, a 2020 seventh-rounder, for a tryout earlier this week.

Garvin tallied 32 tackles, 1.5 sacks and seven quarterback hits during his three seasons with the Packers from 2020 to 2022, playing a total of 673 defensive snaps off the edge.

The Bears needed more defensive end depth after losing second-round rookie Shemar Turner and Dominique Robinson to injuries in Week 8’s loss to the Ravens. Robinson will expectedly miss a few weeks with a high-ankle sprain, while Turner tore his ACL and is done for the rest of the season, having already landed on the injured reserve list.

The Bears also signed veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their active roster to help bolster their battered secondary, which played last week without its top three corners.

Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson