Chicago Bears sign TE Matthew Mulligan & WR Josh Bellamy

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears continued to add pieces to their roster today by signing TE Matthew Mulligan and WR Josh Bellamy. Both players are expected to be back-ups and contribute on special teams.

Matthew Mulligan (6’4 – 265, 29 years old) has been with three other teams (Jets, Rams, Patriots) since being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Maine in 2008. Mulligan has 16 catches for 160 yards and 2 touchdowns in his 5 year career. Clearly, catching passes is not his strong suit. What Mulligan does well is run-block. He’s a scrappy player who takes pride in doing the dirty work in the trenches. Mulligan should take Eben Britton’s role as the 3rd TE in goal-line and short yardage sets.

Josh Bellamy (6’0 – 205, 25 yrs old) is another undrafted free agent who has been in the league for two years with both the Chiefs and Redskins. Coming out of Louisville, Bellamy was considered a possession receiver with decent potential on short-to-intermediate routes. He has yet to catch a pass in the NFL, but has returned five kicks for 102 yards. Bellamy should contend for a special teams role on the Bears and maybe at receiver as well since things are wide open for the 4th & 5th WR spots.

Twitter: @MikeFlannery_