The Chicago Bears announced Friday that they’ve re-signed offensive lineman Rashaad Coward and tight end J.P. Holtz to one-year deals.
Coward and Holtz were exclusive-rights free agents, which means that they had expiring contracts with fewer than three accrued NFL seasons and were only permitted to negotiate with their own team.
Both players saw playing time with the Bears last season due to injuries at tight end and offensive line.
The Bears lost their top three tight ends to injured reserve last season, which gave young players like Holtz an opportunity to step up. Holtz led a disappointing tight end group in receiving with 91 yards. His best performance came against the Cowboys, where he led the Bears with 56 receiving yards on three catches in Week 14 win.
Coward converted to offensive tackle in 2018, but he didn’t see any action that season. But Coward stepped in for an injured Kyle Long, who suffered a season-ending injury early-on last season. Coward started 10 contests for the Bears at right guard.
Coward will get a chance to compete for the starting right guard spot, where he’ll battle the likes of newcomer Germain Ifedi and Alex Bars.
