Bears sign long snapper Tanner Carew, waive linebacker Andrew Trumbetti

The Chicago Bears now have a long snapper battle on their hands.

The team announced on Thursday that they have signed rookie Tanner Carew as a free agent. As a corresponding move, they have waived linebacker Andrew Trumbetti.

Carew, who attended college at Oregon, was seen by most analysts as the best long snapper in the 2018 NFL Draft. The top long snapper in the country coming out of high school, Carew impressed NFL scouts throughout his tenure with the Ducks as an incredibly accurate snapper who can consistently hit punters right in the hands with crisp and fast snaps.

The six-foot-one, 243-pound long snapper recorded two tackles on special teams during the Senior Bowl, receiving an abundance of praise from commentators during the game. He was also the only long snapper to have been invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. He signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent, but was let go in July.

The Bears displayed interest in Carew back in March, along with the Green Bay Packers, who ended up drafting Mississippi State long snapper Hunter Bradley in the seventh round, instead.

Carew will be fighting for a roster spot with eight-year veteran Patrick Scales, who has been on the Bears since November of 2015. On a roster with very little starting roster battles, it seems as though the fight for the starting long snapper position could be an interesting one.

Jacob Infante is a Chicago Bears writer at SB Nation’s Windy City Gridiron. He is also an NFL Draft writer at USA Today SMG’s Draft Wire. He can be reached through Twitter @jacobinfante24 or emailed at jacobinfante1208@gmail.com.