On Tuesday, the Chicago Bears announced that the following players have been signed to reserve/future contracts. All fourteen players ended the season on Chicago’s practice squad.
Maurice Alexander, WR
JP Richardson, WR
Brittain Brown, RB
Nikola Kalinic, TE
Stephen Carlson, TE
Kyle Hergel, OL
Dallis Flowers, CB
Dontae Manning, CB
Jonathan Garvin, DE
Jeremiah Martin, DE
Gervarrius Owens, S
Nephi Sewell, LB
Dominique Hampton, LB
Luke Elkin, LS
These reserve/future contracts are a way for teams to get a head start
on constructing their 90-man offseason rosters. Unlike in-season practice squad deals, these contracts prevent the player from negotiating with other clubs. NFL teams can sign as many reserve/future players as they want in the offseason, as long as the total number of contracted players for the club does not exceed 90. These players don’t count towards the current 53-man roster or the salary cap, and once the 2026 league year starts (March 11), they’ll revert to the 90-man offseason roster.
These guys don’t often become impact players, but Theo Benedet was a reserve/future signee by the Bears last offseason, and he not only made the 53-man roster but also started 8 games in 2025.
The only players the Bears didn’t bring back who ended the season on their practice squad were defensive end Jamree Kromah and offensive lineman Trey Hill.
