Bears practice squad signs former Saints LB Manti Te’o
We have signed LB Manti Te'o to our practice squad.@Hyundai | #DaBears
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 20, 2020
Manti Te’o spent the better part of three years with the New Orleans Saints, following linebackers coach Mike Nolan from the Chargers to help overhaul a defense that had limped to three consecutive 7-9 finishes. And the project was successful: the Saints won a ton of games after making the necessary changes on that side of the ball, and the roster continued to improve until Te’o wasn’t re-signed after the 2019 season.
Now Nolan is the embattled Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator. And Te’o is joining the Chicago Bears practice squad as one of several veteran additions teams are allowed to make this year due to COVID-19 rules changes. He could get a shot to play against his former team in two weeks when the Saints visit the Windy City; another former Saints standout in Chicago, Akiem Hicks, will surely be looking forward to it when the black and gold come to own. Though Hicks is decidedly more bitter than most about how his Saints tenure ended.
Te’o ultimately appeared in 28 games for New Orleans (including the playoffs), chipping in with some memorable plays. His best moment came late against Washington back in 2017, on 3rd-and-1: with the Saints down 31-23 just before the two-minute warning, Te’o correctly read the play design and met running back Samaje Perine for a loss of yards (splitting the tackle with safety Vonn Bell).
The stop forced a Washington punt, which set up a wild Drew Brees-to-Alvin Kamara scoring sequence to tie the game. Te’o’s defense ended regulation with a Kirk Cousins sack-fumble by Bell, and opened overtime by keeping up the pressure to force another punt; Mark Ingram then ran 51 yards in two plays to put Wil Lutz in position to kick a 28-yard field goal, and the rest is history.
After allowing Perine to run for 117 yards against them, Te’o and his teammates set a standard the next week by refusing to allow another 100-yard rusher, and that streak has continued ever since — a streak of 48 consecutive games, just a few more away from the modern era record (53).
