Bears sign Bengals DT Ogunjobi to 3-year contract

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears added a disruptive force, signing Cincinnati Bengals stalwart defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi to a three-year contract on Wednesday.T

he Bears also finalized a two-year deal with Green Bay offensive lineman Lucas Patrick and a one-year contract with Las Vegas Raiders linebacker Nicholas Morrow.

The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Ogunjobi played an important part in Cincinnati’s big jump in his lone year with the Bengals. And he figures to play a key role as Chicago switches from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme.

Ogunjobi set career highs with seven sacks, 16 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss before suffering a season-ending foot injury in the first-round playoff win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bengals went 10-7 and reached the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history, falling to the Los Angeles Rams, after winning just four games the previous year.

Ogunjobi has 21 1/2 sacks, 41 tackles for loss and 53 quarterback hits over five seasons with Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Patrick made 34 starts and played in 74 games over five seasons with Green Bay. He started 11 games at center, one at left guard and one at right guard last year after spending most of his time at right guard in 2020. New Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was the Packers’ quarterbacks coach the past three seasons.

Morrow had 20 tackles for loss, 20 passes defensed, four sacks, and two interceptions for Las Vegas from 2017 to 2020. He missed last season with a foot injury.

The Bears went 6-11 in 2021 and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years. They fired general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy, replacing them with GM Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus.

The Bears also finalized the trade sending star linebacker Khalil Mack to the Los Angeles Chargers for a second-round draft pick this year and a sixth-rounder in 2023. They also released veteran linebacker Danny Trevathan and versatile running back and return specialist Tarik Cohen, who has been sidelined for nearly two years because of a knee injury.

Chicago signed long snapper Patrick Scales to a one-year extension and offensive lineman Lachavious Simmons to a one-year contract.

Scales has played in 88 games over six seasons with the Bears and one with the Baltimore Ravens. He made a career-high four special teams tackles in 2021. Simmons, a 2020 seventh-round pick out of Tennessee State, played in his first two career games last season.