Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles capped off an incredibly busy news day for the franchise by making the first release of the 2026 offseason.
The Bears announced on social media that they have released linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga from the roster. Ogbongbemiga has played the last two years with the Bears, totaling 25 career games with the team.
Last season, Ogbongbemiga played in just seven games for the Bears. He racked up 17 tackles and one pass deflection as he started one of those seven games.
Bears release Amen Ogbongbemiga from the roster
The linebacker position is already an interesting one for the Bears, as they have D'Marco Jackson as a pending free agent. There have been questions about whether veteran starters Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards will be on the roster come the start of the 2026 season.
Bears fans will try to read into what the move means for Ogbongbemiga and whether it signals they are starting to create roster and cap space for free agency. The face is he bounced in and out of the team and practice squad throughout 2025, so it could simply be that he is off the roster for now and could return later.
This is the latest of multiple stories that emerged from Chicago throughout the day. The Bears are one step closer to moving to Indiana for their new stadium, and Jeff King was promoted to assistant general manager, replacing Ian Cunningham, who departed for the Atlanta Falcons' general manager job.
Read more: Bears' secondary might not be an issue anymore if Ryan Poles makes a call to Miami
It's a long offseason with more moves on the horizon for the Bears, but this could end up being the start of the domino effect that is going to occur for Chicago, just mere weeks before free agency kicks off.