The Bears on Friday tendered one-year contracts to two exclusive rights free agents, cornerback Josh Blackwell and defensive tackle Andrew Brown.
Exclusive rights free agents are players with two or fewer accrued NFL seasons who can only negotiate and sign with their original team.
Blackwell emerged as a special-teams standout as a rookie in 2022, producing a team-leading 11 tackles while playing at a Pro Bowl level, according to special teams coordinator Richard Hightower.
Blackwell appeared in 16 games with one start. He also played 13 percent of the Bears' defensive snaps (133) and recorded 12 tackles.
Blackwell entered the NFL with the Eagles last year as an undrafted rookie. He was waived Aug. 30 as part of final cuts and claimed by the Bears the next day.
Brown registered one tackle in five games with the Bears last season after being signed Nov. 30 off the Cardinals practice squad.
Brown was selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2018 draft out of Virginia. Before joining the Bears, he played in 23 games with one start over three seasons with the Bengals (2019-20), Texans (2020) and Chargers (2021), compiling 18 tackles.
