Lovie Smith hinted earlier Sunday the Bears would sign "a couple" tryout players who participated in the club's three-day rookie minicamp. So it came as no surprise when the team announced later in the day it had inked seven of the tryout players to three-year contracts.

The seven players are: Wisconsin-Whitewater quarterback Matt Blanchard, Texas Southern receiver Joseph Anderson, Illinois State tight end Brandon Venson, Concordia tackle Tyler Hendrickson, Central Florida guard Nick Pieschel, Boston College punter Ryan Quigley and Connecticut kicker David Teggart.

Blanchard is a native of the Chicagoland area. He was a prep star at Lake Zurich High School who originally attended Northern Michigan before transferring to Wisconsin-Whitewater where he won 25 games in two seasons, passing for 44 touchdowns to just six interceptions.