Bears sign LB Austin Calitro amid offseason program

Seeking depth at inside linebacker this offseason, the Bears signed Austin Calitro and released receiver Reggie Davis on Monday.

The Villanova alum and onetime undrafted free agent has appeared in 42 games, starting nine times, over three seasons. Calitro played for the Seahawks in 2018, Jaguars in 2019 and Broncos last year. He’s familiar with Vic Fangio’s defense; the Broncos head coach mentored new Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

The Bears began Phase 2 of their voluntary offseason program Monday and had about 70 players — and most of the offense — show up, per ESPN. That bodes well for holding organized team activities next month; the Bears on Sunday truncated OTAs from three weeks to two, starting June 1.

In April, the NFLPA distributed a letter saying the majority of Bears players — and those from other teams — didn’t plan to attend voluntary workouts. The union had pushed for an all-virtual offseason but were rebuffed by owners.