Bear Digest

'Big Dog' Returning to Bears for 19th Season Per Report

Tight end Marcedes Lewis will sign to return to the Bears at age 40 according to a report by Jay Glazer.

Gene Chamberlain

Marcedes Lewis attempts to block against the Chargers last season for the Bears at age 39. According to Jay Glazer, he'll return this year.
Marcedes Lewis attempts to block against the Chargers last season for the Bears at age 39. According to Jay Glazer, he'll return this year. / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports
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The Bears had one of the league's younger 90-man rosters starting offseason work but they're apparently going to get older again because of one player.

Think much older.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, tight end Marcedes Lewis will be back for an attempt to make the Bears roster again in his 19th NFL season.

Now 40 years old, Lewis caught four passes for the Bears last year but his run blocking and blocking overall made him a valued player. 

Lewis, known as "Big Dog" to teammates, was graded the fifth-best run blocker among tight ends last year by Pro Football Focus.

In fact, he had the fifth-highest overall PFF grade among all tight ends largely because of his blocking grade and played a good number of snaps on offense with 332, or 29% of plays when he was available for games.

The Bears only used Lewis on 17 special teams plays but a tight end who can block might be a valuable weapon this year on kick returns due to the rule changes.

During offseason work the Bears have had Stephen Carlson, Tommy Sweeney and Brenden Bates vying for the third spot behind Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Bates is an undrafted free agent they signed after this draft. Carlson was on the practice squad last year after an injury derailed his career in Cleveland. Sweeney had a series of injuries and illness that halted his career with Buffalo.

A 2006 draft pick by Jacksonville, Lewis played through 2017 for the Jaguars and followed with five for Green Bay before playing last year with the Bears.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.