The Jacksonville Jaguars signed tight end Brenden Bates to the practice squad, the team announced Sept. 22.
Bates, 26, began his NFL career with Chicago as an undrafted free agent in 2024. He has played in 16 games, including three starts, for the Bears, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans.
During those appearances, Bates recorded four catches for 48 yards. His professional experience includes time with Chicago and New York in 2024, Cleveland in 2024 and 2025, and Houston in 2025.
Bates is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and played college football at Kentucky from 2018 through 2023. He appeared in 57 games with 26 starts for the Wildcats, finishing with 26 receptions, 272 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
While at Kentucky, Bates was on the same team as current Jaguars coach Liam Coen, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. Coen overlapped with Bates in 2021 and 2023, Hines-Allen in 2018, and Rodriguez from 2018 through 2022. The Jaguars also provided a listing of their current active roster for the 2026 NFL season.
