The Bears on Friday released veteran safety Omar Bolden.
The 5-10, 195-pounder had signed with the Bears March 31 after spending his first four seasons with the Broncos. Selected by Denver in the fourth round of the 2012 draft out of Arizona State, Bolden appeared in 56 games with one start.
Bolden averaged 24.7 yards on 77 kickoff returns and 24.6 yards on five punt returns including an 83-yard touchdown. He also recorded 27 tackles on special teams and 24 on defense.
During his first three seasons with the Broncos, Bolden played for Bears coach John Fox and special-teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, who held the same roles in Denver from 2011-14.
Bolden played in 47 of 48 games his first three seasons, leading the Broncos with 12 special-teams tackles in 2013 and averaging 33.0 yards on 13 kickoff returns in 2014, tops in the NFL among players with at least 10 returns.
When healthy, Bolden was a key member of the Broncos' Super Bowl-winning team last season. But injuries limited him to nine games and he did not play in the AFC title game or Super Bowl 50 after hurting his knee in a divisional playoff win over the Steelers.
