Ottawa-born defensive tackle Neville Gallimore has joined the Super Bowl-seeking Chicago Bears during NFL free agency.
The 29-year-old – drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 – is one of just four Ottawa natives currently on an NFL roster, and joins the famous franchise on a two-year contract believed to be worth up to $12million.
“Bears Nation let’s do it!!!!” he posted on X. “Thank you for the opportunity. Let’s work! #BearDown”.
Gallimore appeared in all 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2025 – seeing his playing time increase due to an injury to DeForest Buckner – and he finished the season with 38 combined tackles, six quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three pass deflections.
He now joins a Bears defense that is being reshaped following an underwhelming 2026 season for the unit – while they produced key stops and stacked up a bunch of takeaways, Dennis Allen’s unit struggled to defend the run and had problems getting to the quarterback.
Gallimore’s arrival will not solve those issues singlehandedly, but he does fit the offseason remit that the Bears have when it comes to recruitment on defense – get faster.
The Canadian, who stands 6’ 2” and weighs 307lbs, ran a 4.79 40-yard dash during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine – one of the fastest times ever recorded by a defensive lineman weighing in excess of 300lbs.
He has also shown durability during his first five seasons in the National Football League – missing just four games across his stints with the Cowboys, Colts, Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams.
The old saying that “the best ability is availability” certainly springs to mind – with the Bears having dealt with a ridiculous list of injuries on defense during 2025 that saw them tumble down the power rankings of Bets.com.au.
Despite those injuries they won the NFC North title in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach, completing a remarkable turnaround from worst to first that saw them become the ‘Cardiac Bears’.
Chicago won a bunch of games in dramatic fashion as Caleb Williams signalled his arrival as an NFL superstar with his ‘Iceman’ antics.
The most notable of those fightbacks came in the Wildcard round of the playoffs as they came back from 21-3 down and scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field, 31-27.
Williams then produced an improbable fourth-down touchdown pass to Cole Kmet to force overtime in the Division playoff against the Los Angeles Rams – although this time the Bears came up short as they were beaten in overtime.
While the loss was a heartbreaker, Chicago are a team on the rise. The combination of Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams has turned the Bears from a laughing stock to a genuine contender since last September, and now they have their sights set on the ultimate prize in 2026 – the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Can Gallimore play his part and help the Bears win the Super Bowl? Time will tell.
