Following their initial round of roster adjustments, the Chicago Bears will be taking more than half of their 2023 practice squad into the 2024 offseason.

Just one day after ending their 2023 regular season with a road loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Bears signed ten members of their practice squad to reserve/future contracts on Monday, January 8, according to the team’s official transaction wire.

One notable addition to the futures class is Micah Baskerville, a 2023 rookie linebacker who the Bears used three times in November as a depth option as Tremaine Edmunds recovered from a knee injury. Although Baskerville was only involved in special teams play, in 2022 he led LSU in tackles with 89 and was a vital member of their special teams unit.

In 2024, Baskerville might compete for a roster position with the Bears linebackers if he can transfer his NCAA level of special teams ability to the NFL.

The following players were also signed to future contracts by the Bears: safety Adrian Colbert, tight end Stephen Carlson, wide receiver Nsimba Webster, defensive end Daniel Hardy, defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour, interior offensive linemen Jerome Carvin and Bill Murray, offensive tackles Aviante Collins and Roy Mbaeteka, and safety Adrian Colbert.

As more clubs wrap up their seasons, the Bears may add more players to their practice squad in the upcoming weeks. As of right now, they have ten guys committed for the 2019–20 season.

One day after revealing their initial wave of futures signings, the Bears inked contracts with two outside players in 2023: Donovan Jeter and Daurice Fountain. As the month went on, they gained a few more as well, such as cornerback Greg Stroman Jr., who eventually merited a spot on the 53-man roster for the 2023 campaign.

In the end, though, organisations sign players to long-term contracts with the understanding that they will compete for every inch of space on the roster during the summer. While they are usually treated as disposable and easily traded for free agents and draft picks before they even get an opportunity to compete, occasionally they spring surprises and earn spots on the active squad, as Stroman did in 2023.