The Chicago Bears added a familiar face to their practice squad this week, signing 26-year-old defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. days before their 2026 season opener, via the NFL transaction log.
Johnson, a former seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, first joined Chicago in late May after a veteran tryout at rookie minicamp. He spent the summer competing in a crowded safety room, appearing in three preseason games and recording seven tackles before being waived when the roster was cut to 53.
The Bears brought him back Thursday after also releasing safety Marlen Sewell from the practice squad in a corresponding move.
The 6-foot, 205-pound St. Petersburg, Florida, native was selected 242nd overall out of Iowa State in 2023. As a rookie he played 12 games for Green Bay, starting four, and finished with 24 tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.
He spent 2024 with the New York Giants, appearing in nine games mostly on special teams, then missed the entire 2025 season after landing on the physically unable to perform list. The Giants waived him in March.
Chicago valued his versatility. Johnson has taken snaps at both safety and slot corner and has experience on special teams, useful traits for a practice-squad player who can be elevated on short notice.
Injuries have thinned the Bears’ secondary throughout camp, including the loss of cornerback Kyler Gordon to the PUP list and safety Coby Bryant to injured reserve.
Johnson gives the staff another body who already knows the building and the scheme.
Practice-squad rules allow teams to elevate a player to the active roster for game day. With the Bears visiting the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Johnson is a phone call away if another defensive back goes down.
Whether he stays beyond the early weeks will depend on health across the 53-man roster and how quickly he re-acclimates after being away for a little more than a week.
For Johnson it is another chance to stick in the NFL after stops in Green Bay, New York and now a second stint in Chicago.
For the Bears, it is a low-risk depth addition at a position that has been unsettled all summer. The signing is the latest small roster move as Ben Johnson’s staff finalizes its 16-man practice squad heading into Week 1.
