The Bears added three players to their 53-man roster Tuesday, signing running back Joique Bell and defensive lineman C.J. Wilson and promoting linebacker John Timu from the practice squad.
To make room for the newcomers, the Bears placed cornerback Kyle Fuller on injured reserve and waived linebacker Jonathan Anderson and tight end Greg Scruggs.
Bell bolsters an injury-depleted backfield. He has appeared in 68 games with 15 starts over six NFL seasons with the Eagles (2010), Colts (2010) and Lions (2011-15), rushing for 2,235 yards and 22 touchdowns on 561 carries and catching 161 passes for 1,640 yards and one TD.
Running back Joique Bell has appeared in 68 games with 15 starts over six NFL seasons.
Bell entered the NFL in 2010 with the Bills as an undrafted free agent from Wayne State. He also spent time with the Saints in 2011 when Bears general manager Ryan Pace worked in New Orleans' personnel department. As a college senior, Bell won the Harlon Hill trophy, which is named after the former Bears receiver and given to the top player in Division II.
Bell played in 13 games with five starts for the Lions last season, rushing for 311 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries and catching 22 passes for 286 yards. He was released by Detroit in February. Bell recently worked out for the Lions after starting running back Ameer Abdullah suffered a foot injury, but was not signed.
Bell joins a depleted backfield with the Bears. Starter Jeremy Langford exited Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys with a sprained ankle and third-stringer Ka'Deem Carey sat out the game with a hamstring injury. The only other running backs on the Chicago roster are rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Howard and recently-signed second-year pro Raheem Mostert.
Wilson has appeared in 78 games with 19 starts over six seasons with the Packers (2010-13), Raiders (2014-15) and Lions (2015), recording 111 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 15 tackles-for-loss. He has also played in eight playoff games—including a win in Super Bowl XLV with Green Bay—registering 17 tackles and one sack. Wilson was selected by the Packers in the seventh round of the 2010 draft out of East Carolina.
Timu entered the NFL with the Bears last season as an undrafted free agent from Washington. He appeared in seven games with three starts as a rookie, compiling 25 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and two fumble recoveries. Timu spent the first three weeks of this season on the Bears practice squad.
Fuller missed the first three games this season while recovering from knee surgery. He played in 30 of 32 contests the previous two seasons after being selected by the Bears with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2014 draft out of Virginia Tech. Fuller recorded 129 tackles, six interceptions, 24 pass breakups, three tackles-for-loss and three forced fumbles. He led the Bears with two interceptions last season after tying for the team lead with four in 2014.
Anderson joined the Bears last season as an undrafted rookie from TCU. He has played in 14 games with three starts the past two seasons, amassing 41 tackles on defense and five on special teams, one interception, five pass breakups and two tackles-for-loss.
Scruggs switched from defensive end to tight end in May, appearing in the first three games this season. He joined the Bears last Dec. 30 and played in the season finale against the Lions, compiling three tackles and one sack. Prior to that, Scruggs had appeared in 14 games as a defensive end with the Seahawks from 2012-14.
