The Bears on Saturday elevated tight end Stephen Carlson and DeMarquis Gates to the active roster for Sunday's season opener against the Packers and released veteran linebacker Dylan Cole.
Carlson signed with the Bears in May after spending the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Browns. He entered the NFL in 2019 with Cleveland as undrafted free agent from Princeton, appearing in 25 games with seven starts and catching six passes for 62 yards and one touchdown.
Gates completed his first NFL season in 2022 after spending time in multiple professional leagues, including the USFL, CFL, XFL and AAF. He helped lead the Birmingham Stallions to the 2022 USFL Championship in the inaugural season of the league, and was named a member of the All-USFL team after producing 68 tackles (44 solo), 6.5 sacks and one interception. Last year with the Bears, he appeared in three games and played on both defense and special teams.
Cole, 28, signed with the Bears in March. He spent his first four years in the league with the Texans after signing with Houston as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri State in 2017 before joining the Titans for the next two seasons.
