CHICAGO, Ill. – Former Northern Arizona standout KJ Gerard was signed to the Chicago Bears practice squad on Dec. 21.

The Bears play the Green Bay Packers in the final week of the season. A Week 17 victory over their arch rivals at Lambeau Field would enable the Bears (11-4) to secure the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. The top two seeds sit out the opening weekend of the postseason and then host the winners of the first-round match-ups Jan. 15 and 16.

Gerard signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2009 out of Northern Arizona. The 6-1, 192-pounder spent a majority of last season on the Ravens practice squad before being elevated to the active roster on November 18, 2009, appearing in three contests before being placed on injured reserve. Gerard recorded two special teams tackles in those three contests.

Gerard was a two-time All-America selection. He earned All-America First-Team honors from the Associated Press, College Sporting News, The Sports Network and the Walter Camp Foundation in 2008, while finishing as a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award.

Gerard holds the NAU school record for interceptions with 19, tied for the fifth-best total in Big Sky history. He finished his career ranked tied for first in interceptions among active career leaders in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Division I overall with 19. In 2008, he was fifth on the team in tackles with 47 with a team-best 38 solos. The Fountain Valley, Calif., native recorded five interceptions to rank second in the Big Sky Conference and tied for 17th nationally (0.45 per game). He also had a team-best nine pass deflections, eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble and blocked kick.