The Bears shored up their secondary by signing veteran cornerback Marcus Williams for the remainder of the season, head coach Matt Nagy confirmed Wednesday. The addition comes on the same day Bryce Callahan was placed on injured reserve after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in the Bears’ Week 14 win over the Rams.
Williams, 27, bounced around with the Texans, Jets and Buccaneers over the past five years after joining the league as an undrafted free agent in 2014. He played sparingly with Tampa Bay in two games this season, including a loss to the Bears on Sept. 30, before being released by the team in late October.
The cornerback’s best season came in 2015, when he recorded six interceptions and 10 defended passes in 13 games with the Jets.
The Bears needed help in the secondary after Callahan, a breakout contributor to one of the game’s top defenses, suffered a season-ending injury in the 15-6 win over Los Angeles. He had started 10 of 13 games this season and become a pivotal piece in the secondary alongside starting cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller. Without him, the team’s only other players at the position were Sherrick McManis and Kevin Toliver.
