Bears sign former Naperville North TE James O’Shaughnessy

The Bears are adding some more local flavor.

The team signed former Naperville North tight end James O’Shaughnessy to a one-year contract Monday. O’Shaughnessy spent the past five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The 30-year-old Naperville native played college football at Illinois State and was a 2015 fifth-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs. He played two seasons in Kansas City before being traded to the New England Patriots.

O’Shaughnessy spent training camp 2017 with the Patriots but didn’t make the 53-man roster. The Jaguars claimed him off waivers in September of that year, and he has been in Jacksonville ever since.

Last season, he appeared in seven games, making six starts. He caught 24 passes for 244 yards. In his career, he has appeared in 80 NFL games, making 40 starts and totaling 112 receptions for 1,108 yards and three touchdowns.

With Jacksonville last season, O’Shaughnessy lined up tight alongside the tackles on the majority of the snaps he played, according to rotowire.com. He did, however, line up in the slot on more than 100 snaps.

He is the fourth tight end on the Bears’ roster. He joins Cole Kmet, Jesper Horsted and free agent acquisition Ryan Griffin. With O’Shaughnessy joining the mix, the Bears’ tight end position has some significant local flavor. He joins Kmet, who grew up in Lake Barrington and played high school ball at St. Viator.

The Bears open voluntary veteran minicamp Tuesday. The NFL draft is less than two weeks away.