The Chicago Bears signed tight end Jake Butt, defensive tackle Mike Pennel and tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr. on Friday.
The three free agents participated in full-squad minicamp this week as a tryout.
The Bears waived undrafted rookies Thomas Schaffler, a defensive lineman, and tackle Gunnar Vogel to make room on the roster.
Butt, who turns 26 next month, has been limited to just eight NFL games since the Denver Broncos selected him in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He tore his ACL in his final college game in the Orange Bowl with Michigan and missed his rookie season. In 2018 he suffered the same injury, spent 2019 on injured reserve and was hampered by a hamstring injury in 2020.
He had 10 catches for 90 yards with the Broncos.
Pennel, 30, has played in 91 games (16 starts) with the Green Bay Packers (2014-16), New York Jets (2017-18) and Kansas City Chiefs (2019-20). He has 155 career tackles (eight for loss) and two sacks.
Wheatley, a tight end in college at Michigan and Stony Brook, moved to tackle in The Spring League, a developmental league for NFL hopefuls. His father, Tyrone Wheatley, was an NFL running back for 10 seasons with the New York Giants (1995-98) and Oakland Raiders (1999-2004).