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Bears sign veteran free agent offensive lineman Reiff, second-round pick Brisker

The Bears signed veteran free agent offensive lineman Riley Reiff, general manager Ryan Poles announced Tuesday.

Reiff, 33, signed a one-year contract worth at least $10 million and up to $12.5 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Reiff is an 11th-year NFL veteran who has started 139 career games. The former first-round draft pick spent five years with the Detroit Lions and four years with the Minnesota Vikings before signing a one-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.

Reiff started 12 games for the Bengals last season. He missed the end of the season with an ankle injury and did not play during the Bengals' Super Bowl run. Reiff has primarily been a tackle during his NFL career, but has experience in several spots. He began last season as the starting right tackle for the Bengals.

Reiff figures to be a front-runner for a starting tackle position, but Poles said the Bears are keeping all options open.

"It doesn't really change from what we've been doing from the beginning," Poles said. "I think we're going to find the best five possible. If we can get the best five, then that unit can play really well together. Then I think we're in a good situation."

Coach Matt Eberflus said there's no deadline to determine the five starting offensive linemen. The players won't be practicing in pads for several days and the team can't really determine much in the trenches until the players can hit each other.

The Reiff signing comes a day after the team added veteran lineman Michael Schofield to the roster. Adding two veteran offensive linemen should give Poles some peace of mind. The coaching staff spent the spring evaluating young players like Larry Borom, Teven Jenkins and Braxton Jones at the tackle positions, and juggling Dakota Dozier and Sam Mustipher at right guard.

"Like I said in the spring, the sooner the better," Eberflus said. "We just added two more pieces to the puzzle, which is a great thing."

Bears sign Brisker: Poles announced that the Bears have signed rookie second-round draft pick Jaquan Brisker.

The safety out of Penn State was the last of the Bears' draft picks to sign his rookie contract. Brisker was the 48th overall pick in last spring's NFL draft. His rookie contract is for four years.

"He's headed in the right direction and I am excited to see what he does this training camp and during the season," Poles said.

Poles and Eberflus spoke publicly Tuesday as players were reporting for training camp. The team will hold its first practice of camp on Wednesday.

The Bears Tuesday signed second-round draft pick Jaquan Brisker. He was the last of the picks to sign his rookie deal. Associated Press
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