Chicago Bears Have Signed 11 Players to Their Initial 2026 Practice Squad

The Chicago Bears have begun signing players to their initial 2026 practice squad, but the list will be fluid, and we’ll update it throughout the year.

Here are the first 11 signed players per the NFL transaction wire, but a couple of others were reported earlier today and are listed in our tracker. There will be other players added to the practice squad tomorrow.

1. Caden Barnett, OG
2. Kyle Hergel, iOL
3. Salvon Ahmed, RB
4. Scotty Miller, WR
5. Kaden Davis, WR
6. J.P Richardson, WR
7. Stephen Carlson, TE
8. Wayne Matthews, LB
9. Marlen Sewell, S
10. Deantre Prince, CB
11. Marcus Davenport, DE

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Here are the qualifications for practice squad eligibility and some rules to remember.

• 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 the game, the elevated player(s) will revert to the practice squad. A player can be elevated up to three times, but if he’s needed after that, the team would be required to sign him to the 53-man active roster.

Players on practice squads are free agents who can be signed to another team’s active roster. A player’s current club can’t block him from leaving; they can only make a counteroffer to keep him. Ultimately, it’s the player’s decision. If a player is signed away, his new team must keep him on its 53-man roster for three weeks, but if he’s released, he’ll revert to his previous team. Players signed to another active roster are also guaranteed three weeks’ salary.

A practice squad player can’t sign with his team’s upcoming opponent unless he does so six days before the upcoming game or ten days prior if his team is on its bye week.