The Bears on Wednesday bolstered their secondary by signing former CFL cornerback Tre Roberson to a two-year contract.
Roberson, 27, played for the Calgary Stampeders the past two seasons. In 2018, he helped the Stampeders win the Grey Cup championship, recording 54 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Last season he registered 41 tackles and seven interceptions—two of which he returned for touchdowns.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Roberson was considered the top CFL free agent this year and chose the Bears over offers from nine other NFL teams. Schefter also reported that the Bears are expected to give Roberson the most lucrative CFL-to-NFL contract since the Miami Dolphins signed pass rusher Cameron Wake in 2009.
Roberson grew up in Indianapolis and was named Indiana's Mr. Football in 2010, starring at Lawrence Central High School. He originally attended Indiana University, becoming the first true freshman to start at quarterback in school history.
Roberson spent three years with the Hoosiers, including one as a medical redshirt after he broke his leg in an early-season game. He then transferred to Illinois State for his final two years. In his first season at ISU in 2014, Roberson quarterbacked the Redbirds to the FCS championship game, where they lost to North Dakota State 29-27.
Roberson's 58-yard touchdown run put Illinois State ahead 27-23 with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter. But current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz responded with a game-winning 5-yard TD run with :37 remaining.
Switching to cornerback, Roberson signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He spent part of the season on the Vikings practice squad but did not appear in a regular-season game.
