LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Wednesday placed rookie cornerback Zack Bowman on injured reserve and signed veteran safety Terrence Holt to their 53-man roster.

Bowman sustained a bicep injury while making his NFL debut in last Sunday’s 48-41 win over the Minnesota Vikings. The fifth-round draft pick recovered a muffed punt for a touchdown and preserved the victory by intercepting a Gus Frerotte pass at the Minnesota 41 with :40 remaining in the game.

Zack Bowman

Bowman, who was named NFC special teams player of the week for his performance, is the first Bears player to score a touchdown and pick off a pass in his NFL debut since Gerald “Bones” Weatherly on Sept. 17, 1950 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Holt was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of  the 2003 draft. He intercepted eight passes in four seasons with the Lions before signing with the Arizona Cardinals as an unrestricted free agent in 2007.

After registering a career-high 75 tackles while starting all 16 games for the Cardinals last season, he was released by Arizona in February. The brother of St. Louis Rams receiver Torry Holt signed with the Carolina Panthers in March, but was waived at the end of the preseason.

Holt has started 43 of 69 career games played. The 6-2, 208-pounder from North Carolina State has recorded 245 tackles, 13 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and a half sack. 

It’s been a whirlwind few days for Holt. He flew from his home in Raleigh, N.C. to Seattle for a tryout with the Seahawks, with a stopover in Salt Lake City. He then traveled from Seattle to Chicago.

“I think I’ve done all four time zones in 48 hours,” he said. “I haven’t had much sleep.”

Holt wasn’t complaining, however, after practicing with the Bears Wednesday and catching up with running back Kevin Jones, a former Lions teammate.

“It was good running around and being in a locker room, which I hadn’t been in since training camp,” said Holt, who was issued jersey No. 32. “It was good to be out there with the guys and have some familiarity with the system. 

"I know the guys around here. I’ve been watching them and playing against them since playing with Detroit, so there is some familiarity there. But I’m just trying to get in and get comfortable."