Bears Rumors: Justin Jones Agrees to Contract After Larry Ogunjobi Failed Physical

The Chicago Bears previously agreed to terms on a three-year, $40.5 million ($26.35 million guaranteed) with free-agent defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, but they will no longer be signing him following a failed physical.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced the news in a statement, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

Instead, the Bears are reportedly signing ex-Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Justin Jones, per Rapoport.

Jones has played all four of his NFL seasons with the Chargers and started in each of the past three. He had three sacks and 19 tackles in 11 games in 2021.

Ogunjobi is a five-year NFL veteran who spent his first four years with the Cleveland Browns before landing with the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals last season. He had 49 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and seven sacks last year.

The 27-year-old suffered a foot injury during the Bengals' 26-19 AFC Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Raiders on Jan. 8. He was carted off the field, placed on injured reserve and missed the rest of the playoffs.

It's unclear why Ogunjobi failed the physical, but as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic noted, the recent injury may be the reason why:

Ogunjobi tweeted on Jan. 20 that his surgery was a success:

Ultimately, Ogunjobi is now a free agent again, making one of the best interior defenders in this year's free-agent class available to sign for the rest of the league.

As for Jones, he figures to find a starting role in Chicago as the Bears start a new era featuring Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus.