The Chicago Bears are getting some last-minute reinforcements for Week 16’s divisional showdown with the Green Bay Packers on Saturday Night Football.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears activated veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds from the injured reserve list and elevated wide receiver Maurice Alexander in a pair of roster moves before the 4 p.m. ET deadline ahead of kickoff.
The Bears had only just opened Edmunds’ 21-day activation window this week after he spent the past four games on IR with a groin injury, but he seemed to quickly clear their medical hurdles and upgraded to full participation in practice by the end of Week 16.
Edmunds’ return could provide a significant boon for the Bears defense in their high-stakes rematch with the Packers. He was playing some of the best football of his career before his injury in Week 11, finding a playmaking spark in his move to the WILL role. In 10 games, he has 89 total tackles, four interceptions and nine pass deflections.
Edmunds will take the vacated spot on the 53-man roster that nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon left behind on December 15 when the team placed him on injured reserve.
The Bears (10-4) will face the Packers (9-4-1) at Soldier Field at 8:20 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 20.
Maurice Alexander Offers Depth to Banged-Up WR Corps
While Edmunds’ return gives the Bears back one of their top defensive starters, they also made a move to counter their bad run of injuries with Alexander’s promotion.
Alexander — whom the Bears signed to a reserve/future contract in January — earned a spot on the practice squad in 2025 after standing out in training camp and catching nine passes for 71 yards and a receiving touchdown in the three preseason games.
While Alexander has caught just one pass in his four games, he should add emergency depth for a Bears receiving corps that won’t have two of its best against the Packers. Both Rome Odunze (foot) and rookie Luther Burden III (ankle) are already ruled out on the injury report after sitting out the entire short week of practice with their injuries.
Alexander could also help out on special teams as a return specialist. He impressed as a return specialist in the preseason with five returns for 120 net yards, good for 24 yards per return. He also averaged 7.0 yards per punt return on four total attempts.
If used on returns, Alexander could help free up veteran Devin Duvernay to play more receiving snaps against the Bears instead of holding down the return game, as usual.
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