The Chicago Bears elevated Buddy Johnson and Zavier Scott from the practice squad for Thursday night's game against the New England Patriots, giving the team two standard gameday elevations for a single matchup.
Both players are expected to revert to the practice squad after the game, which is the normal result for standard elevations unless a team makes a separate roster move. For Chicago, the pair gives the roster a little more flexibility heading into Bears Game Tonight without requiring a longer-term commitment.
Buddy Johnson gets another chance to contribute
Johnson, a linebacker, was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 NFL Draft with the 140th overall pick. He has 34 career regular-season games and two postseason appearances on his résumé, along with 23 career special teams tackles.
This season, Johnson already made his first appearance for Chicago in the Week 6 win over Atlanta. That made Thursday night's game another opportunity for him to factor into the Bears' defensive and special teams plans against the Patriots.
Zavier Scott brings recent special teams value
Scott has also already shown he can help on gameday. In last week's victory over the Falcons, he logged a forced fumble on kickoff coverage.
His path to this point has been a winding one. Scott played at Maine through 2022, entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, spent the entirety of the 2024 season on Minneapolis' practice squad, and then appeared in 16 games for the Vikings in 2025. In those 16 games, he produced 114 rushing yards, 98 receiving yards and 212 yards from scrimmage.
Chicago's decision to elevate both players fits the short-term nature of Thursday night's game. The Bears get depth and coverage help for one night, while Johnson and Scott get another chance to make an impact before returning to the practice squad.
