The Chicago Bears took a step on Monday to bolster the linebacking corps by signing Tony Fields II out of the UFL, but perhaps the team should consider taking an even larger one.
Fields is a depth play to guard against a handful of meaningful health questions in the Bears’ LB room as training camp approaches in July. Chicago spent meaningfully at the position this offseason, bringing in Devin Bush on a three-year deal worth $30 million after cutting Tremaine Edmunds for salary cap purposes. The Bears also drafted rookie Keyshaun Elliott out of Arizona State in Round 5.
Given those dual investments, the Bears don’t profile as the most likely landing spot for 11-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, but there is some logic behind the team pursuing him on a one-year deal this summer.
Wagner finished last season for the Washington Commanders with 162 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, four pass breakups and two interceptions. Pro Football Focus ranked him ninth overall out of 88 linebackers who saw enough snaps to qualify for a ranking.
The veteran LB, who will play next season at 36 years old, did all of that on a $9 million deal. Spotrac projects his market value in 2026 at just $7.7 million, which is more than reasonable enough for the Bears to consider given their current injury concerns at the position.
Bobby Wagner Remains Viable NFL Starter Despite Age
GettyLinebacker Bobby Wagner, formerly of the Washington Commanders.
Alex Kennedy of PFN suggested on June 15 that a return to Washington or a short stint with the Denver Broncos or Indianapolis Colts makes the most sense for Wagner.
However, Kennedy’s argument for the future Hall of Fame linebacker as a “band-aid” solution could theoretically apply to the Bears as well.
“Since PFN started tallying positional scores in 2019, Bobby Wagner has been a top-10 linebacker in the NFL every single season. Those seasons don’t even include most of his ‘prime’ years when he was a perennial All-Pro,” Kennedy wrote. “He’s arguably the best linebacker of his generation, and he’s still a solid starter at this stage of his career.”
Several Bears’ Linebackers Dealing with Injury Concerns as Training Camp Nears
GettyLinebacker T.J. Edwards of the Chicago Bears.
Chicago’s decision to ink Fields comes on the heels of an apparent shoulder injury to projected starter D’Marco Jackson during mandatory minicamp last week.
Starting linebacker TJ Edwards is also continuing to work his way back from a gruesome leg injury he suffered during the playoffs in January, in which he broke his fibula and severely hurt his ankle.
Beyond that, Elliott didn’t practice at all during the three minicamp sessions due to injury. Reserve linebackers Ruben Hyppolite and Noah Sewell also missed the entirety of last week’s work with health concerns.
Fields has four years of NFL experience (2021-24) on his resumé, all with the Cleveland Browns where he appeared in 45 games and started 10 contests. He excelled in the UFL during that league’s 2026 campaign and serves the Bears’ purpose of stocking the depth chart with another capable linebacker.
That said, making a play for Wagner would be the kind of splashy move the Chicago defense has avoided all offseason, save for drafting safety Dillon Thieneman No. 25 overall in Round 1 and inking Super Bowl champion safety Coby Bryant to a $40 million deal in free agency.
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