The Chicago Bears have had a steady pipeline of players coming over from the Green Bay Packers in recent years. Names like Robert Tonyan, Josh Sitton, and Jonathan Owens have made their way down I-43 to play in Chicago, and the Packers' NFC North rival added another player when The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain reported that the Bears have signed offensive lineman Royce Newman to their practice squad on Wednesday.
Newman joined the team along with defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was signed to the active roster on Wednesday. The Bears also signed defensive lineman Jonathan Garvin to join Newman on the practice squad.
Either way, the Bears will hope they plucked treasure from Green Bay’s trash, in a quest that hasn’t worked out for the Packers’ biggest rivals in recent years.
Bears’ Latest Move Could Backfire After Adding Former Packers OL Royce Newman
If the Bears are hoping Newman ascends to the active roster, they may be in for a rude awakening. A fourth-round pick by the Packers in the 2021 draft, Newman started at guard and logged 1,084 snaps with a 55.7 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Although he seized a starting role early, his flaws in pass protection became his downfall.
Newman allowed 32 quarterback pressures and six snaps in his rookie season and saw his playing time cut in half in 2022. Newman’s disappearing act continued with 186 snaps in 2023, and he continued to struggle protecting the quarterback with 28 pressures and five sacks allowed over those two seasons.
Opportunities with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, and New England Patriots have come for Newman since leaving Green Bay, but he hasn’t been able to hang onto a full-time job and hasn’t been on an active roster this season. The Bears may be looking for overall depth after placing Braxton Jones on injured reserve last weekend, but the odds of him performing at that same level are slim due to his history of allowing pressure that has led to catastrophic outcomes.
Alas, this could go the same way that Sitton and Tonyan have gone in recent years as signings that don’t have much impact in the Bears-Packers rivalry. With the Packers sitting atop the NFC, it’s another humorous development in a season that has Green Bay standing over Chicago in the standings.
The first Packers-Bears showdown of the season will take place in Week 14, leaving time to tell if Newman will be active for tha potential reunion.