Wesley French Signs With Bears: Why Chicago Added Center Depth

Football Nation
Aug 11
4 min read

The Chicago Bears signed offensive lineman Wesley French on Tuesday, August 11, and waived defensive back Brandon Hill in the corresponding roster move. Chicago’s official transaction log lists both moves, while Chicago Tribune reporter Brad Biggs reported that French earned the contract after a three-man workout.

The timing makes this more than routine camp churn. Biggs reported that second-year interior lineman Luke Newman is sidelined with an undisclosed issue and that French could play in Saturday’s preseason game against Cleveland. Chicago has not announced the nature or duration of Newman’s absence, so the firm news is limited to French’s signing, Hill’s departure and the immediate need for another center.

What the Bears confirmed

The Bears’ transaction page records French as an offensive lineman signed on August 11. It does not announce contract terms or guarantee a position on the final roster. That distinction matters in August: French is joining an active competition, not receiving a declared role.

Biggs’s report adds useful practice context. French worked out alongside veteran linemen Tremayne Anchrum and Lecitus Smith before Chicago chose him. A late-camp signing can be asked to take team repetitions quickly, but the player first must learn the cadence, protection language and communication rules well enough to keep every rep functional.

What Wesley French brings to Chicago

French is a 6-foot-4, 307-pound center who entered the NFL with Indianapolis as an undrafted free agent in 2022. The Colts kept him on their 53-man roster as a rookie, although he did not appear in a game that season. In 2023, he played all 17 games and made three starts. Indianapolis placed him on injured reserve during the 2024 preseason, then re-signed him in March 2025.

That résumé gives Chicago something practical: a center who has started regular-season games and has prepared inside an NFL protection system. It does not establish that he is ready to win a job immediately. His first evaluation will be whether he can deliver clean snaps, identify fronts, set protections and anchor against interior power after joining the offense in the middle of camp.

The Bears have already invested heavily in protecting Caleb Williams. Football Nation’s breakdown of the Darnell Wright extension explains the long-term side of that plan. French represents the opposite end of roster construction: inexpensive depth that can keep practice organized and potentially cover multiple interior spots when the planned rotation is unavailable.

Football Nation analysis: the operation comes first

Football Nation analysis: French’s fastest path to value is reliability, not a highlight block. Centers touch the ball on every snap and help five linemen operate as one unit. A backup who makes the correct declaration, reaches the proper landmark and keeps the quarterback’s timing intact can be more useful in August than a stronger player who is still guessing.

The Browns-Bears preseason matchup offers a direct test if French is active. Watch which quarterback group he works with, whether Chicago uses him only at center or also gives him guard repetitions, and how often he handles shotgun snaps. One successful drive will not settle the competition, but repeated clean operation would show that he absorbed the playbook quickly.

The move also fits a busy week of Bears roster management. Chicago recently added Ray-Ray McCloud III for receiver and return depth, while Coby Bryant’s knee surgery forced a larger adjustment in the secondary. Those moves and the expected preseason absence of Luther Burden III show how rapidly a 90-man camp roster can change once injuries begin to stack up.

What to watch next

The most revealing evidence will come from usage. If French receives second-team center work immediately, the Bears likely view him as a realistic preseason option rather than a temporary practice body. Guard snaps would improve his case because reserve linemen often need to cover more than one position on game day.

Also watch the details that rarely appear in a box score: snap location, communication against pressure, balance after first contact and whether backs have to alter their track because the interior loses leverage. Saturday’s Cleveland matchup includes several broader roster battles, but French’s test is unusually specific. He must make a new offense look routine within days.

Hill’s waiver creates the roster spot but does not make the two players direct competitors; they play on opposite sides of the ball. Chicago simply chose to reallocate one camp place from the secondary to the offensive line. The next move could change the math again, especially if Newman returns quickly or another position develops an urgent need.

Chicago’s offensive evaluation also reaches beyond the line. The recent Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze camp connection showed how timing can sharpen when protection and route spacing work together. French’s assignment is to help preserve that timing whenever he enters.

Bottom line

Chicago has added an experienced center at a moment when its interior depth needed another healthy option. French’s 2023 game experience gives him a credible starting point, but his Bears future will be decided by how quickly he learns the offense and whether he can keep the operation clean against Cleveland. The signing is confirmed; a lasting role is still to be earned.