The Bears are adding longtime tight end Marcedes Lewis, a source confirmed, a day after agreeing to a deal with veteran pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.
They agreed to terms, with Lewis headed to Chicago for a physical.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears were “excited about that bringing that experience in here to our football team, the leadership he will bring and also the experience in the tight end room.”
At 39, Lewis is the oldest player on the roster; the Bears have just six players 30 or older. If he makes the team, this will be his 18th NFL season.
Lewis was a favorite of former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who often gave shoutouts to “Big Dog” in his press conferences. He played every game for the Packers last season and was in for 41% of their offensive snaps, but wasn’t much of a factor in the passing game with six catches for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
Lewis’ best season was in 2010 with the Jaguars, when he caught 58 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns and made the Pro Bowl. He has just one other season with 500 or more yards receiving.
In 13 career games against the Bears, Lewis had 21 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown.
Barring injuries, the Bears are already set at the top of the depth chart at tight end. Cole Kmet just signed a four-year, $50 million extension, and the team is high on free-agent pickup Robert Tonyan.
