Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears.
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A former Chicago Bears player who started his career with the team is getting another chance with a rival in the NFC.
The Chicago Bears have welcomed and parted ways with a bevy of players over the years, and one player who started his career with the franchise is now getting another chance to prove his abilities with a rival franchise.
Now, this player actually hasn’t been with the Bears for years, but he’s been marked as one of the most in-demand free agents still available this late in the game, so Chicago could have certainly brought him back, if they wanted to do so. He’s also a defensive end, which is a position of need.
But, now, he’s signed with a rival team, and although these two franchises don’t have a game set during the 2026-27 season, it’s a NFC team, so they meet fairly regularly.
Player Who Started His Career With the Chicago Bears Gets Another Home
We’re talking about veteran defensive end Jonathan Bullard. The NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported on Saturday, March 28, that the Dallas Cowboys are signing Bullard to a one-year deal. The contract is worth a maximum of $2.5 million, according to his research.
The Chicago Bears drafted Bullard in the third round, 72nd overall pick, of the 2016 NFL draft out of the University of Florida, according to NFL research. He was with the Bears from 2016 to 2018, and from there, he went to the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2020 and Seattle Seahawks in 2020. Then, he was with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021, Minnesota Vikings from 2022 to 2024 and New Orleans Saints in 2025.
So, this isn’t really a second chance. It’s a third, fourth, fifth and sixth chance. Either way, Bullard will try his hand in Texas with the Dallas Cowboys for the 2026-27 season.
Looking Ahead to the Chicago Bears’ 2026 NFL Draft
In a Friday, March 27 feature for the NFL’s official website, analyst and expert Mike Brand gives his thoughts on what will happen during the draft. As for methodology, Brand states, “NFL IQ powered by Amazon Quick helped me pressure-test team needs, draft capital and realistic outcomes before putting this mock together.”
So, for the Chicago Bears, he sees the team using their No. 25 pick on Emmanuel McNeil-Warren out of Toledo, a safety.
“With Kevin Byard (New England) and Jaquan Brisker (Pittsburgh) both gone in free agency, McNeil-Warren should entice the Bears as a long, rangy safety with true ball-hawking ability and the versatility to function as an apex defender,” he states in the piece. “He fits the profile Chicago appears to value in this cycle: a tone-setter who can play through contact, erase space on the back end and take the ball away from multiple alignments.”
McNeil-Warren’s NFL profile says that he’s a “long, downhill safety capable of bolstering a team’s run defense and playing enforcer over the middle. McNeil-Warren is most valuable when playing near the line of scrimmage or in robber positioning.” It adds that “he anticipates well in coverage and is quick to close on receivers but will need to be protected by scheme to prevent speed mismatches.” So, the Bears could make a good choice with McNeil-Warren, although there are plenty of solid players in the draft.