The Chicago Bears have added some depth at inside linebacker with the signing of Manti Te’o to the practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday.
The Bears worked out a trio of linebackers last week, including Deone Buccanon, Justin Phillips and Te’o, and it was Te’o that won the practice squad spot.
Chicago signed Te’o to their practice squad after losing kicker Kai Forbath to the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday.
We have signed LB Manti Te'o to our practice squad.@Hyundai | #DaBears
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 20, 2020
Te’o, a former second round pick out of Notre Dame in the 2013 draft, has appeared in 62 games, including 48 starts, over seven NFL seasons. Te’o played for the Los Angeles Chargers (2013-16) and New Orleans Saints (2017-19), where he notched 307 tackles, including 22 tackles-for-loss, 1.5 sacks, 13 pass breakups, two interceptions with one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Te’o brings some depth at the inside linebacker position, which is led by Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods serve as reserves on the active roster. A couple of weeks ago, Devante Bond was elevated to the active roster for the Buccaneers game, but he suffered a quad injury.
