Reinforcements are on the way for a Chicago Bears team limping toward the finish line — both literally and figuratively.
Safety Adrian Colbert is reportedly signing with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
UPDATE (3:14 PM CT) — It’s officially official:
The signing comes days after safety Eddie Jackson went down with a foot injury during the team’s loss to the Jets this past Sunday. Earlier on Tuesday, reports surfaced that Jackson’s injury would keep him “out indefinitely.” And while that doesn’t specify a timetable, there is a realistic chance that Jackson’s injury is of the season-ending variety. Hence, the need to add some veteran help.
And that is what I imagine Colbert brings to the table at this stage of the game.
Colbert, 29, was a 49ers seventh-round pick (229th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. Hey, that’s the same draft class Jackson was in! What a coincidence. Anyway, Colbert has 39 games (22 starts) of NFL experience under his belt with the Niners (2017-18), Dolphins (2019), Giants (2020), Jets (2021), and Browns (2021). He has also made stops with the Titans (2022), Patriots (2021), and Chiefs (2020). Considering that Bears GM Ryan Poles was a Chiefs executive in 2020, Chicago’s top decision-maker should have a good idea of what Colbert can provide in a pinch.
Once Colbert’s signing becomes officially official, he’ll join DeAndre Houston-Carson and Elijah Hicks as the only Bears safeties not dealing with some sort of injury issue. Remember, rookie Jaquan Brisker was in concussion protocol last week and it caused him to miss the Jets game. Fellow safety Dane Cruikshank has had a bothersome hamstring injury that popped up once again in the loss to the Jets. Adding Colbert ahead of Week 13 isn’t splashy. But it is nice to have another able-bodied defender in the mix.