The Chicago Bears have an open spot on their 53-man roster and they put a group of linebackers and wide receivers through a workout Friday at Halas Hall, along with a familiar quarterback.
Former Northwestern quarterback Mike Kafka was involved in the workout, according to multiple league sources. However, after the addition of Jordan Palmer to the roster earlier this week, it is unlikely Kafka is in the mix for a roster spot. He likely was involved to help give the wide receivers a look.
The Bears most likely will sign a linebacker after Lance Briggs was lost for an estimated six weeks with a small fracture in his left shoulder, suffered in Sunday’s 45-41 loss to the Redskins at FedEx Field. Larry Grant, Brian Rolle and Julian Stanford were involved in the workout, and one source said there may have been others.
Grant played 16 games for the 49ers last season and primarily was a special teams player. He started three games for San Francisco in 2011 and previously spent three seasons with the Rams, for whom he made eight starts. Grant was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
Rolle was a sixth-round pick of the Eagles in 2011 and also has spent time with the Steelers. Stanford joined the Jaguars last year as an undrafted rookie free agent.
The Bears have only 52 players under contract and based on their tight cap situation and the off week, it would not be surprising if general manager Phil Emery waited until Monday -- when practices will resume -- to sign a player. The team would save a small amount of cap room by not paying a player for a game week.
Wide receivers present included Terrence Toliver, who spent the offseason and training camp with the Bears, as well as Danny Coale and Roy Roundtree. Coale was a fifth-round pick by the Cowboys in 2012 and Roundtree has spent time with the Bengals after being an undrafted rookie this spring.
The Bears have an open spot on the practice squad as wide receiver Ricardo Lockette was released earlier in the week.
Via Chicago Tribune