Yesterday, the Chicago Bears signed two more players to reserve/future contracts: safety Alex Cook and offensive lineman Joshua Miles.
The 25-year-old Cook was initially an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants in 2023, and he spent part of that season on their practice squad. The Carolina Panthers signed him off New York’s practice squad, and he played in ten games (2 starts) for them that season. He spent 2024 with the practice squad of the Panthers and Giants.
Miles was a seventh-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, and the Bears are his fourth team. The 29-year-old has appeared in 18 games, all as a reserve, in his career.
Here are the players Chicago has signed to reserve/future deals.
- Ricky Stromberg, OL
- Theo Benedet, OL
- Chris Glaser, OL
- Joshua Miles, OL
- John Jackson, WR
- Samori Toure, WR
- Jordan Murray, TE
- Joel Wilson, TE
- Austin Reed, QB
- Carl Jones, LB
- Jamree Kromah, DL
- Alex Cook, S
Reserve/future contracts are a way for teams to get a head start on constructing their 90-man offseason rosters. Unlike practice squad deals, these contracts prevent the player from negotiating with other clubs. NFL teams can sign as many reserve/future players as they want as long as the total contracted players does not exceed 90. The players don’t count towards the current 53-man roster or the salary cap, and once the 2025 league year starts, they’ll revert to the 90-man offseason roster.