Chicago Bears Shake Things Up by Bringing Back Former Lions Star in Ben Johnson Reunion. DH
Longtime Detroit Lions linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin is back in the NFL. Unfortunately for his former team, it’s with a division rival.
The Chicago Bears announced Tuesday they signed Reeves-Maybin to their practice squad. Although he played on defense and special teams, the signing reunites the linebacker with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Reeves-Maybin and Johnson were both together in Detroit from 2023-24. Now head coach in Chicago, Johnson has the Bears in first place in the NFC North with a 7-3 mark entering Week 12.
The Lions have a remaining matchup with Johnson, Reeves-Maybin and the Bears this season. That will come in Chicago during the regular season finale in Week 18.
Before 2025, Reeves-Maybin had played all but one of his NFL seasons during his career with the Lions. Detroit drafted the 30-year-old in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
After starting 11 contests in 2021, the linebacker signed with the Houston Texans in free agency ahead of the 2022 campaign. Following his release in 2023, Reeves-Maybin came back to Detroit.
In 2023, he earned a Pro Bowl nomination and was second-team All-Pro as a special teams ace. Reeves-Maybin posted 20 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, two pass defenses and a sack during 17 games that season.
In 2024, he had 14 combined tackles and one forced fumble in 10 contests.
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin Signs With Chicago Bears
Although the Lions moved on from Reeves-Maybin after 2024, it’s likely difficult on the organization seeing him sign with a division rival. The linebacker became an intricate part of Detroit’s special teams unit, particularly the past two years.
He was also a team captain. Reeves-Maybin was Detroit’s special teams captain in both 2023 and 2024.
The Lions selected the linebacker at No. 124 overall in the fourth round during 2017. He immediately contributed on special teams, playing 264 snaps on the unit as a rookie. During 2017, he lined up for 239 defensive snaps.
Reeves-Maybin continued to play more on special teams for four years until he received an opportunity on defense during Dan Campbell’s first season in Detroit. In 2021, Reeves-Maybin played 616 defensive snaps and 120 special teams snaps.
The linebacker signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract to join the Texans in 2022. He completed just one of those years with the team before returning to the Lions.
Last season, Reeves-Maybin lined up for 210 special teams snaps and 159 snaps on defense. SI on Lions’ Christian Booher wrote the team released Reeves-Maybin last offseason to save cap space.
Lions to Face Bears in Season Finale
Detroit remains one of the league’s best teams on paper. However, the Lions have lost three of their last five games. That’s dropped them into third place in the NFC North in part because of the surging Bears.
Chicago has vaulted into first place with a three-game winning streak. The Bears are 7-1 since beginning the season with two consecutive losses.
When the Lions and Bears met in Week 2, Detroit routed Chicago 52-21. But that might not mean much when the teams square off again during Week 18.
The division title could be on the line in that matchup for the Lions, who haven’t played well in outdoor games in several instances this season. Detroit is 3-3 outside during 2025.
Of the team’s seven remaining games, the trip to Chicago is its only remaining outdoor contest in the regular season.
Before that, though, the Lions will face three other teams in playoff positioning inside. Their next matchup against a team currently in the playoffs will be versus another division rival — the Green Bay Packers — on Thanksgiving.
