Bears Sign OL Matt Pryor

The Chicago Bears agreed to terms with free-agent offensive linemen Matt Pryor according to a report from The Athletic’s Adam Jahns. Pryor spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers. There’s some familiarity at play here that likely piqued the Bears’ interest. Pryor overlapped with Bears head coach Matt Eberflus in 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Bears are signing veteran OL Matt Pryor to a one-year deal, a source tells me and @kfishbain. He spent last season with the 49ers and overlapped with Matt Eberflus with the Colts in 2021.

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) March 13, 2024

Pryor was a reserve offensive lineman for the 49ers this past campaign. Pryor totaled just 42 offensive snaps, 26 at right tackle, 11 at left guard, and five at left tackle. The Bears will appreciate that versatility. Pro Football Focus did not credit Pryor with allowing a sack or pressure, but the small sample size must be acknowledged. Pryor also scored a run-blocking grade of 87.7.

Eberflus saw Pryor play quality football with the Colts throughout the 2021 campaign through a much larger sample size. Pryor played 438 total snaps for the Colts that season, with the bulk of his play-time occurring at right tackle (266 snaps). Pro Football Focus had Pryor allowing just eight pressures and two hits. He earned an overall grade of 76.5, including a pass-pro score of 75.2, and run-blocking grade of 74.8.

Pryor isn’t a big-time free agent signing, but he’s a quality depth addition to the Bears’ offensive line room.