The Chicago Bears bolstered their offensive line by signing veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff, general manager Ryan Poles announced Tuesday. It's a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million, per ESPN.
While speaking to the media at training camp, Poles said, "Our front office is not going to stop chipping away and bringing good football players to the team."
The 33-year-old OT is coming off a season with the Cincinnati Bengals during which he was placed on injured reserve after 12 regular season games (all starts). In 2021, he allowed four sacks and was penalized once, earning him a 67.1 Pro Football Focus grade.
Reiff has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, the team that drafted him in 2012. This will be his third NFC North team of his career.
The former first-round pick will now help protect Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields was sacked 36 times last season, 10th most in the league. For a mobile quarterback like Fields, who ran for 420 yards and two touchdowns on 72 rushing attempts, the addition of a solid veteran like Reiff should be valuable to his game.
The Bears are coming off a less-than-impressive 6-11 season, ending the regular season without a playoff spot and in third place in the division.
