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The Chicago Bears brought in former Packers QB Taylor Elgersma for a workout.
Just days after their Week 14 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Bears brought seven free agents to Halas Hall for workouts, including a former Packers quarterback who recently turned in a strong preseason performance.
The Bears are currently dealing with injuries to several key players, including top wide receiver Rome Odunze and cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson.
With every game bigger than the next as the Bears vie for a playoff spot, any addition the team makes could prove to be a fateful one. Let’s take a closer look at each of the players Chicago brought in, along with what each could offer the Bears.
Bears Brought in 2 WRs With Rome Odunze Out
One of the more intriguing names Chicago brought in on December 9 is wideout/returner Jha’Quan Jackson. The 25-year-old former Tulane star is listed at 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds and was a sixth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2024 (No. 182 overall).
Jackson carved out a role as a return specialist, logging 627 combined return yards and one catch for eight yards through the 2025 season. After being waived by Tennessee in August, he had a brief stint on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad. A speedy-yet-small gadget player, he’d be an intriguing return specialist who could also compete at the back end of the receiver depth chart.
In addition to Jackson, the Bears also kicked the tires on Dohnte Meyers, a CFL standout with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Brooklyn native played his college ball at Presbyterian and Delta State.
After going undrafted in 2023, Meyers broke out in 2025 north of the border, netting 65 receptions for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns on his way to West Division all-star honors, after a 2024 debut season that saw him catch 24 passes for 349 yards and one score.
Bears Looking at Reinforcements on the Interior Defensive Line
Chicago also looked at two interior defenders: Keondre Coburn and Isaiah Raikes.
Coburn, 25, is a 6-foot-2, 320-plus-pound nose tackle who played his college ball at Texas. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the sixth round in 2023 (No. 194 overall) and has bounced between the Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders.
Across his early NFL stops, Coburn has logged more than 20 tackles in rotational roles. He profiles as a more of a space-eating run stuffer as opposed to a pass-rushing threat, as he had 14 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in his five seasons with the Longhorns.
Raikes, 24, would offer another big body inside. The former Auburn product is listed at 6-foot-1 and 323 pounds and entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Titans in 2025.
He spent time on Tennessee’s practice squad before being waived in early September. He has yet to record a regular season snap in the NFL, although the next two players Chicago brought in have.
Bears Also Eyeing Secondary Depth With Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson Injuries
The Bears also brought in defensive backs Joshuah Bledsoe and Darrick Forrest, both of whom have at least special teams experience in the league.
The 5-foot-11, 207-pound Bledsoe, 26, is a safety who had a solid college career at Missouri before getting drafted by the New England Patriots in the sixth round in 2021 (No. 188 overall).
He’s appeared in four NFL games and has a lone tackle on his stat sheet. He has also had brief stints with the San Antonio Brahmas, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans along the way.
Forrest, 26, has the most NFL experience of the group. The former Cincinnati Bearcats safety was drafted in the fifth round by Washington in 2021 (No. 163 overall).
Across four seasons with Washington, he appeared in 40 games with 17 starts, amassing 137 tackles, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. Known for his 4.41 speed and range on the back end, if his medicals check out after past shoulder issues, Forrest could be a strong candidate for immediate depth at safety.
The Chicago Bears Also Worked Out Former Packers QB Taylor Elgersma
GettyFormer Packers QB Taylor Elgersma just worked out for the Chicago Bears.
Headlining the workout list was Taylor Elgersma, a 23-year-old quarterback from London, Ontario. The 6-foot-5, 227-pound QB starred at Wilfrid Laurier University, where he completed 72% of his passes for 10,230 yards, 76 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, adding 18 rushing scores over four seasons.
We know Bears coach Ben Johnson wants his QBs to be accurate, and Elgersma was certainly that in college.
Elgersma signed with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in May after a rookie minicamp tryout, becoming one of the rare U Sports quarterbacks to crack an NFL camp. He responded by completing 16 of 23 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions in three preseason appearances, posting a 104.6 passer rating before being waived at final cuts.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hold his CFL rights after selecting him 18th overall in the 2025 CFL Draft, but for now he remains an NFL free agent — and a potential futures or practice squad stash if Chicago likes what it saw.
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