Bears Roster Moves: Quindell Johnson and Khalid Kareem claimed, Trent Taylor signed

On Wednesday, the Chicago Bears were awarded safety Quindell Johnson and defensive end Khalid Kareem off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. In a corresponding roster move, they waived defensive end Terrell Lewis and safety A.J. Thomas.

They also are reported to have signed former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver and returner Trent Taylor, although this transaction has not been officially announced by the Bears.

General manager Ryan Poles said that left guard Teven Jenkins will be placed on injured reserve, meaning the earliest he can play will be week five.

Johnson (6', 201 pounds) was a UDFA out of Memphis this season, where he had 77 tackles, 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. In his four-year college career, he appeared in 49 games, making 10 interceptions, 24 passed defended, 4 forced fumbles, and 3 recoveries.

Kareem (6'4", 268) was originally a fifth-round pick of the Bengals in 2020 out of Notre Dame. Some injury issues slowed his progress early in his career, but he's appeared in 29 games as a pro with 1 sack.

The Bears got a good look at him during their joint practices with the Colts, and in their preseason game, he had 5 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, and 2 QB hits working against the Bears' pass protection. He's a versatile player who has played on both sides off the edge and kicked inside to defensive tackle.

Taylor (5'8", 181) has returned 89 punts in his career, good for a 9.7 average, so he figures to take over that role with the Bears immediately. Last year in Cincy, he had the most 20-yard returns in the NFL.

He was originally a fifth-round selection of the 49ers in 2017, so he spent three years with current Bears' special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.

Early in his career, he was used as a slot receiver more than with the Bengals, and in 67 total games, he has 87 receptions for 834 yards and 3 touchdowns.

You can see how Chicago's current 53-man roster shapes up here, and keep in mind this may change again if the Bears place any players on injured reserve. The deadline for teams to do that is today at 3:00 p.m. Chicago time. We are tracking all the news and rumors surrounding the practice squad and roster moves here.