LAKE FOREST – Earlier in the day, he was introducing a new crop of free agents to the media at Halas Hall, but Ryan Poles was hardly done adding to his team.
As it turns out, he was pretty busy the rest of the day.
Before Thursday was over, the general manager signed a running back, a tight end with local ties, along with a defensive lineman to his 2023 squad hoping to make a jump after a 3-14 season in 2022.
Another running back is in the fold as the Bears signed D’Onta Foreman to a one-year, $3 million contract after his best season as a pro with the Panthers last fall. He rushed for 914 yards (4.5 per carry) with five touchdowns in 17 games for Carolina, which was easily his best during his five seasons in the NFL.
Foreman is on his sixth team in the NFL since the Texans drafted him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, rushing 1,901 yards and ten touchdowns in 43 career NFL games.
McHenry native Robert Tonyan is also joining the Bears on a one-year contract as the former McHenry East High School standout gets his shot with his hometown NFL team.
Signed originally as an undrafted free agent by the Lions out of Indiana State in 2017, the tight end found his way onto the Packers later that year and made his debut in 2018. In 68 games in Green Bay, including 18 starts, Tonyan has made 137 catches for 1,437 yards and 17 touchdowns.
In 2022, the tight end made 53 catches for 470 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games.
The team also signed defensive lineman Andrew Billings to a one-year deal as he enters his sixth season in the NFL. He’s played for the Bengals, Browns, and Raiders, making 120 tackles with 17 tackles for loss, 4 1/2 sacks, and 15 quarterback hurries in 67 career games.
Last season, Billings made 39 tackles with three for loss and a sack in Las Vegas.
Having signed quarterback P.J. Walker earlier in the week, the Bears released quarterback Trevor Siemian after one season.
