The Chicago Bears Bring Back Jordan McFadden on One-Year Deal

The Bears are retaining a key backup along the interior of their offensive line. They announced that they re-signed guard Jordan McFadden to a one-year deal this morning.

A familiar face in the trenches 💪

Welcome back, @Jmac_2332! pic.twitter.com/eXJNfcZKRv
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) March 12, 2026

Chicago claimed McFadden off waivers shortly after the 2024 NFL season. He spent the previous two seasons with the Chargers after being selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

McFadden only played two snaps in the regular season. However, he showed enough promise in practice for them to (shock the world) and feel comfortable starting him at left guard, with Joe Thuney playing alongside him at left tackle, in the Divisional Round matchup against the Rams.

Virtually no one expected the Bears to shake up the line in the manner they did. Theo Benedet was healthy and started eight games for them. Braxton Jones started four and was their regular starter at left tackle for the previous three years before that. They had more confidence in rolling with McFadden, though.

He made them look smart for doing so, holding up remarkably well against the LA's stout defensive front. He didn't allow a single sack and only gave up two pressures in the matchup.

Want to give a s/o to OG Jordan McFadden.

He was called on to be the #Bears LG vs. The Rams due to Thuney moving to LT. He had a total of 2 regular season snaps prior to this game.

Vs. The #Rams
-81 snaps
-0 sacks
-0 hits
-2 pressures

Hats off to him. Next man up pic.twitter.com/Y6YwNuu35C
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) January 19, 2026

I thought he would be a potential re-sign candidate after how well he performed in the win-or-go-home clash, and I'm happy to see they're bringing him back. He showed that they could count on him in a pinch (in an extremely difficult matchup), and you can't ask for much more out of your backup linemen.

While he won't contend for a starting job anytime soon with Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson locked into the two guard spots, he would at least instill hope that the ship would stay afloat if either of them got hurt. I also don't think they'll need to touch the guard position this offseason, as fellow backup guard Luke Newman also showed promise as a rookie.

Likewise, I also don't think they'll prioritize the tackle position after re-signing Braxton Jones on Monday and coming to terms with Jedrick Wills yesterday. I could see them drafting a center on day two or early on day three, but other than that, the offensive line is already pretty much set.

The details of the contract have yet to be released, but I'm sure it didn't make much of a dent. He hasn't put much on tape over the past few years, and you'd think he'd have much more value to Chicago than anywhere else.