Bears sign former Packers TE Marcedes Lewis

The Green Bay Packers will be lining up against a familiar face when they play the Chicago Bears in their Week 1 regular-season opener this year. On Friday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that former Packers tight end Marcedes Lewis, who became a free agent in 2023 when his contract with the team expired, has signed with the division rival Bears.

Lewis was never much of a pass-catcher with Green Bay, recording a high of 214 receiving yards in a single season over his five-year stretch with the team, but is recognized as one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. If Lewis even records a single snap against the Packers in Week 1, he’ll set the NFL all-time record for most seasons played at the tight end position at 18.

The signing of Lewis marks the second tight end that the Bears have added from Green Bay this offseason. Back in March, the team also signed pass-catcher Robert Tonyan, who played a complementary role to Lewis’ skillset with the Packers. It’s worth mentioning here that Chicago’s offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was formerly Green Bay’s quarterback coach until last season.

The Bears have made a few additions to their roster recently, beyond Lewis, including pass-rusher Yannick Ngakoue. Ngakoue signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the team just yesterday, giving Chicago some much-needed pass-rushing juice.

The Packers hope to replace Lewis and Tonyan this year with a pair of rookies in second-round pick Luke Musgrave and third-round pick Tucker Kraft. Through two weeks of training camp, it appears that Musgrave is in the driver’s seat for the starting tight end position, while Kraft, off-line tight end Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis are competing for playing time behind Musgrave.