The secondary for the Chicago Bears just got a bit better as they bring back a familiar face.
In multiple social media posts, the Bears announced a wave of re-signings. One of those players was safety Elijah Hicks.
Last season, Hicks played in all 17 games, but did not start a game for the first time in his four-year NFL career. He finished the season with 19 tackles.
Bears bring back Elijah Hicks for the 2026 season
While Hicks may not have played as big a role on defense, he was solid on special teams and an important piece to that unit alongside Josh Blackwell. In 2025, Hicks played in 68% of the special teams snaps and 309 total.
The Bears' secondary has already taken a lot of bumps and bruises, with the team already losing Nahshon Wright and Kevin Byard to other teams. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, and Jonathan Owens are still available in free agency, but are not expected to return to the Bears in 2026 at the moment.
Getting Hicks back means that the secondary is in a solid place on the bench with depth there. He will also help on special teams as they bring back one of their top gunners.
These are the type of moves Bears fans can expect Chicago to make in the upcoming days, with only about $6 million to work with in their salary cap. There is a chance that some players could be on watch to be released or traded, like D'Andre Swift and Cole Kmet.
Read more:Bears' 2026 offseason might get a lot quieter after their salary cap update
One thing is for sure: Hicks is back with the Bears for the 2026 season and could be playing a bigger factor on the team than some fans might think.