Bears sign more undrafted players, invite several to camp

Ivan Aguirre - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 6 hours ago

The hardest part of the post-draft period is keeping tabs on all the undrafted free agents coming off the board. Although most of the undrafted free agent signings happen within the first day, you will always have the lingering free agents that take a few days to decide where they want to play.

After it was announced that eight players were signed to undrafted free agent contracts with the Bears on Sunday, Chicago continued to add to their roster as they brought in several more undrafted players mixed with camp invites.

Most of these players will be practice squad material, but just getting players into the organization will allow them to earn a spot on this team.

Deion Hankins (RB, Texas State)

It may have taken the Bears seven rounds to address the running back position, but they did add a productive back in Kyle Monangai. They then went and signed former Texas State running back Deion Hankins to an undrafted free agent contract as he will now look to add some running back depth to the Bears offense.

The 6-0, 215 pound bruising back may not have given you the production that you look, but with nearly 3000 career yards and 25 scores he was still productive enough. His best season came in 2023 as a member of the UTSA backfield when he logged 812 yards and seven scores. That is the season the Bears are looking at when they elected to sign him.

Luke Elkin (LS, Iowa)

There isn't much to say about this acquisition as a Long Snapper has one role. To snap the ball on special teams and give both the punter and kicker the best snap possible. There is a minor connection with this pick as Elkin was the long snapper for Torry Taylor at Iowa which is always fun.

Jereme Robinson (DE, Kansas)

Everyone knows that the single biggest weakness for the Bears defense is their lack of a pass rush. They didn't do the best job of addressing it this offseason and didn't target one of the best edge rushers in the draft. One of their two undrafted free agents can make an impression, and Robinson is one of those guys.

The 6-3, 263-pounder is a physical monster capable of making an impact for this team. You started to see what he could do in the past few seasons, as he has improved from one season to the next. After registering four career sacks over his first three seasons, Robinson broke out for 10 in the last two years, including a career high of 5.5 in 2024.

While these are the only reported additions to have signed a contract, the Bears have also brought in a slew of new undrafted rookies and have invited them to camp. What that means is none of these guys have an official contract but can earn a contract based on a strong showing.

Isaiah Greene (CB Campbell)

The 6-1, 200-pounder is coming off a season where he recorded 17 solo tackles, one forced fumble, and three pass breakups. Not much to write home about, but he will add a nice physical presence in camp.

Jeremiah Hunter (WR Washington)

You can never have too many talented wide receivers, and adding 6-2, 200-pound Hunter brings another one into the room. After putting together an impressive three-year run with California, Hunter transferred to Washington in 2024 and finished the season with 490 yards receiving and one score. That comes after picking up more than 2000 yards with California and 13 scores.

Dominick Mazotti (TE UMass)

It's always nice to see some of the lesser-known prospects get an opportunity, and Mazotti is one of those guys. The 6-4, 234-pound Tight End is very small for a Tight End, but has put up some good numbers in the past. Over his collegiate career, Mazotti collected nearly 1000 career receiving yards and two scores.

Devin Kirkwood (CB UCLA)

When it comes to depth pieces, Kirkwood fills that need as he is another depth piece being given an opportunity. Another big corner, Kirkwood stands at 6-3 and 194 pounds as he plays about as big as he looks. However, due to a lack of playing time, Kirkwood never saw the action he expected as he finished 2024 with 14 Tackles and one pass breakup.

Michael Batton (LB Houston)

If adding pass-rushing help was the Bears' intention this offseason, they have gone about it differently, as most of the Edge rushing help has been added via the undrafted free agent market. Batton is another one of those guys being brought in as the former Houston linebacker is coming off a career-high three sacks this past season.

Cole Nelson (DE, Virginia Tech)

The final undrafted player invited to camp hails from Blacksburg, Virginia, and Virginia Tech DE Cole Nelson will be given an opportunity. Extremely small for the defensive line, the 6-3, 237-pound Nelson will be looked at as a potential depth piece at the Edge position as long as he can prove his worth in camp. Coming off a 2.5 sack season, you would like to see more from him, but he did have a career high 4.5 sacks in 2023, so there is more to his game than he showed.