The Bears have bolstered their offense by signing veteran receivers Dante Pettis and Tajae Sharpe to one-year contracts.
To make room on their roster, they waived receivers Cyrus Holder and Henry Litwin.
Pettis, 26, has appeared in 33 NFL games with 12 starts for the 49ers (2018-20) and Giants (2020-21), catching 52 passes for 739 yards and nine touchdowns.
The 6-1, 195-pounder was selected by San Francisco in the second round of the 2018 draft out of Washington, where he set an NCAA record with nine career punt return touchdowns. Pettis has returned only 13 punts in the NFL, however, averaging 3.2 yards with a long of 14 yards.
He played in 28 games with 12 starts for the 49ers over three seasons, recording 38 receptions for 576 yards and seven TDs. The California native was waived by San Francisco Nov. 3, 2020, and claimed by the Giants the next day. He appeared in two games in 2020 and three contests in 2021 for New York, all as a reserve, catching 14 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
His father, Gary Pettis, is in his 28th season as a Major League Baseball coach and eighth with the Houston Astros after an 11-year MLB playing career as an outfielder from 1982-92. Gary Pettis served as a Chicago White Sox coach from 1997-2002.
Sharpe, 27, has appeared in 66 NFL games with 36 starts for the Titans (2016-19), Vikings (2020) and Falcons (2021), catching 117 passes for 1,397 yards and eight touchdowns.
The 6-2, 194-pounder was chosen by Tennessee in the fifth round of the 2016 draft out of Massachusetts. He played in all 16 games with 10 starts as a rookie, catching 41 passes for 522 yards—both of which remain career highs.
After missing the entire 2017 season with a foot injury, Sharpe returned in 2018 and played 31 of a possible 32 games in 2018-19. He signed with the Vikings in 2020 but was waived late in the season, concluding the year on the Chiefs practice squad.
The New Jersey native signed with the Falcons last year and played in 15 games with seven starts, recording 25 receptions for 230 yards.
