Breaking Down the Bears Undrafted Free Agent Class |
Although the Bears only made five selections in this year's NFL draft, they are set up for long-term success, as this team will have an additional eight selections next year. However, that is next year, and with several months remaining in the NFL offseason and another wave of free agency expected to be in May or June, more moves are going to be coming for this Bears team.
However, the next several days are going to be busy for the Bears as they continue to add to their draft class with several impressive undrafted free agent pickups. That is one of the best things about the NFL draft, as there are players who normally would get drafted but, for whatever reason, don't have their names called. That works out in both their favor and another team's favor, as they are free to sign with whoever they want. The Bears have done a decent job finding undrafted free agents in the past, including Jack Sanborn, who is turning himself into a great player. This year is no different, as the Bears made a haul on the undrafted market, and that all starts with Keith Randolph Jr. The former University of Illinois DT Randolph Jr. was seen as a day-three talent, and most mock drafts had him falling in the fifth or sixth round. He is a strong interior defender who can act as another run-stuffer on one's defensive line. Randolph isn't going to be much of a pass rusher, but he will be a rotational piece if he can find a way to make this team. A team captain for the Fighting Illini, Randolph capped his final season in college with 1.5 sacks and four tackles-for-loss in 10 games. But the year before, Randolph picked up 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. There is a reason why this man received several Big-10 honors last season, as the Bears may have found another Sanborn type of player. Along with Randolph, several other players are looking to earn a spot on this roster. Offensively, you have Western Kentucky QB Austin Reed, University of Kentucky TE Brenden Bates, Howard University RB Ian Wheeler, and University of British Columbia OL Theo Benedet. Reed began his college career at the University of Southern Illinois before finishing his career at Western Kentucky. He became one of the more consistent players in that league the past two seasons. Bates collected 26 receptions, 272 receiving yards, and two touchdowns in his 58-game career at UK. He is seen as more of a run blocker than a pass catcher, which works well with the Shane Waldron scheme. Wheeler is someone the Bears are bringing in for special teams help, as he scored kickoff return TDs in each of the past three seasons. Given the new kickoff rules set to come into play, it will be interesting to see how Wheeler does. Benedict may be the most intriguing name on this list, as he played his college ball north of the border. From his film, this is a player who not only gets his hands on you, but he is looking to punish his defender to make life easier for his offensive skill players. Bowling Green WR Odieu Hiliare was another late signing for this team, as he, too, has signed with the Bears. On the defensive side, the Bears continued adding pieces and will also be bringing in three defensive undrafted free-agent options. EDGE rusher Carl Jones from UCLA could be the biggest name, as the Bears still need more pass-rushing help. Jones doesn't get the love he should as he played next to Laiatu Latu. This could be one of those situations where teams watching Latu came across Jones, and they liked what they saw. Chicago also signed James Madison defensive end Jamree Kromah, who was a Shrine Bowl participant and a first-team All-Sun Belt player this past season. Troy University CB Reddy Steward rounds out the undrafted list. Steward had nine interceptions and three pick-sixes in his college career. Seven of those nine picks came in the last two seasons, which has to be something the Bears were looking into when they signed him. Along with these eight undrafted player signings, the Bears have invited several other undrafted rookies into minicamp with a chance to earn a practice squad deal. Georgia Tech LB Paul Moala, Troy WR Marcus Rogers, Stonehill OL David Satkowski, Weber State OL Noah Atagi, and Oregon State edge rusher John McCartan are some of the main names that have been brought in for mini-camp tryouts. Kansas State C Hayden Gillum and Wisconsin safety Travian Blaylock are also added to the list of undrafted players set to try out for this team, as the Bears will have plenty of minicamp bodies this season.
