Jeremiah Ratliff has said that he is looking forward to making an impact with the Chicago Bears before the end of the season.

The defensive tackle, who is recovering from off-season groin injury, was released by the Dallas Cowboys last month after failing a physical, before joining the Bears two weeks ago.

The 32-year-old, who was known as Jay Ratliff during his time with the Cowboys, told the Bears' website: "I'm thankful and I'm loving it. I'm loving every minute of it. It's a great organisation, great teammates and a great organisation historically. I'm just looking forward to getting on the field and producing.

"I want to get out there and produce and I'm not going to say return to form but be better than I ever was. I'm definitely looking to have the best season of my career with what I have left, and that's my goal."

Ratliff made 10 tackles for the Cowboys in six games last season.