Bears Get Back Lineman Waived Earlier This Season

The Bears have their potential center project back in the fold.

Doug Kramer took a short trip to Arizona and returned on Friday to Chicago. The Cardinals had claimed the former Illinois center after the Bears waived him before they played New Orleans, but Arizona released Kramer on Wednesday.

On Friday, the Bears brought Kramer back to Chicago for the practice squad.

Kramer was a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Bears who was on injured reserve his entire rookie year and then was on the field for only two plays after another injury in training camp this year. 

The Bears waived Kramer because they were getting Braxton Jones back off injured reserve and needed to make room on the 53-man roster. The intent obviously was to have Kramer on their practice squad, but the Cardinals had signed him to their roster before releasing him.

With neither Bears center playing particularly well, according to Pro Football Focus grades, Kramer's continuing development could mean something in the future.

The Bears had to make room on the practice squad for Kramer so they cut offensive lineman Matt Farniok, a guard who had been Dallas' seventh-round draft pick in 2021, and got into 19 games  with two starts for the Cowboys.