The Chicago Bears have made their decision at long snapper, at least for now. The team announced that they’ve waived first-year pro Luke Elkin and signed defensive back Beanie Bishop to the roster.
With Elkin gone, that leaves undrafted rookie Beau Gardner as the only long snapper on Chicago’s roster, which certainly indicates that Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower has made his choice between Elkin and Gardner.
Through the first nine practices of training camp, Chicago has been rotating Elkin and Gardner on field goal attempts by kicker Cairo Santos, and there was no indication of which player had the upper hand in the battle. But the undrafted rookie certainly appears to made an impression on the coaching staff, and he’ll now get all of the long snapper reps, unless the Bears make a move to bring in a veteran.
Elkin, an undrafted free agent in 2025, spent last season with Chicago’s practice squad, and he has experience playing with punter Tory Taylor for three years at Iowa. Meanwhile, Gardner signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent this offseason. He’s coming off six seasons in college and having just won the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation’s top long snapper.
Meanwhile, the Bears added another depth piece in the secondary following yet another injury on Saturday, this time to safety Cam Lewis. Bishop is a former undrafted free agent who had an impressive rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024, where he totaled four interceptions and won AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month in October of that season. He also spent time with the New Orleans Saints on the practice squad last season.
It’s worth noting that Bishop is suspended for the first three games of the 2026 NFL season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears appear to have made their decision in long snapper competition
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
