The Bears brought coach Marc Trestman to town from Canada last year and they’ve gone back to that well to add a long snapper this year.
The team announced that they have signed Chad Rempel to a three-year deal. Rempel has spent the last 10 years in the CFL and the last five seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, but had two stints with the Montreal Alouettes while Trestman was their coach. In addition to long snapping, Rempel has compiled 70 special teams tackles during his CFL career to go with 22 catches as a receiver.
Long snapper Patrick Mannelly has been with the Bears since 1998, logging 245 games for the team over that span, but is currently an unrestricted free agent. He is recovering from hip surgery and it will likely be a bit later in the offseason before he knows whether or not he’ll be continuing has career for the 2014 season.
The Bears also have Brandon Hartson on the roster as a long snapper, which means there will be compeition for the job whether or not Mannelly returns to the team.
[Photo credit: Toronto Argonauts]