BOURBONNAIS — The Bears officially brought in another big target for quarterback Jay Cutler on Saturday, signing veteran tight end Leonard Pope to a one-year deal.
Pope, who is 6-8 and 264 pounds, attended the Bears’ practice on Friday. He’ll be in the mix behind Martellus Bennett and Steve Maneri, the only two locks to make the Bears’ 53-man roster.
Pope has totaled 105 receptions for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns in 103 career games, starting 51 of 103 games with the Arizona Cardinals (2006-08) Kansas City Chiefs (2009-11) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2012).
The Bears waived tight end Brody Eldridge on Friday to make room for Pope, who turns 30 next month. Tight ends Fendi Onobun, Gabe Miller and Kyle Adams are still on the Bears’ roster.
Miller remains a longshot to make the Bears, considering he’s suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
