Heading into Saturday night’s playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears made a notable roster move by bringing back a familiar face, who could help out their special teams unit.
On Thursday morning, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Bears are excited to re-sign veteran linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin to the practice squad, who appeared in three games with the club.
Biggs mentioned that Reeves-Maybin could play on Saturday against Green Bay, as Chicago put linebacker Ty Summers on the practice squad injured reserve with a right foot injury. Summers made a brief appearance in Week 18, playing one special teams snap.
However, there’s another reason why the Bears immediately called back Reeves-Maybin.
Bears Could Promote Jalen Reeves-Maybin with Amen Ogbongbemiga Injury Concern
Amen Ogbongbemiga, who is one of Chicago’s core special teamers, is dealing with a concussion.
The 27-year-old linebacker was listed on the Bears’ injury report on Tuesday with a concussion, but didn’t have an injury designation. However, on Wednesday, the Bears listed Ogbongbemiga as a non-participant, which isn’t a good sign since the Bears are slated to play Saturday night.
Ogbongemiga didn’t make his 2025 debut until Week 10 due to a knee injury. When he got on the field, the veteran linebacker played 82 defensive and 133 special teams snaps.
Thankfully, for the Bears, they have the perfect replacement in Reeves-Maybin, who has quietly become one of the premier special teams aces in the league. The 30-year-old linebacker played 50 special teams snaps between Weeks 13-15, where he recorded two total tackles. Chicago released Reeves-Maybin on Dec. 16 as they used all his practice squad elevations.
Special teams are important in the playoffs and can decide the outcome of a game. If you’re the Bears, you want your kick and punt coverage units locked in, as they can’t give this Green Bay offense a good starting field position.
This season, the Packers are ranked 30th in the NFL in average starting field position at their own 29.4-yard line. The Las Vegas Raiders (own 29.4) and the Dallas Cowboys (own 28.6-yard line) are the only other teams with a worse starting field position.
Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower will want to keep it that way on Saturday, and Reeves-Maybin, a former Pro Bowler with four games of playoff experience, can play a part in making that happen.