The NFL is a league largely made up of undrafted free agents. Teams cannot and should not ignore that area of the talent pool because too often some really good players end up coming out of it. The Chicago Bears are a team that takes this avenue seriously and always remain open to giving guys opportunities. However, as the roster has become more talented, it’s been a bigger challenge for undrafted rookies to crack the final roster. The last one to pull it off was cornerback Kevin Toliver in 2018.
Technically Jesper Horsted did so last season but he began the year on the practice squad and wasn’t called up until injuries struck at tight end.
As things stand, the Bears have added 11 undrafted players since the beginning of May. Perhaps one or two more will follow once team facilities open up again, allowing for possible tryouts. For the time being though, this is who they have. That raises the question. Of those 11 names, who is the most likely to crack the final roster before the regular season begins in September?
Most likely Chicago Bears undrafted free agents to make the team
#3 – Dieter Eiselen (OG, Yale)
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If there is one position group with a ton of question marks, it’s the offensive line. The Bears have four of five starting spots pretty much set in stone, but the right guard position and the backup spots are all in flux. That unit as a whole didn’t perform well in 2019 and they now have a new coach in Juan Castillo. A man who’s never been shy about giving opportunities to undrafted players.
It feels like he might gravitate to a kid like Eiselen. Why? He’s a mauler. Watch his film at Yale and it doesn’t take long to see the South African-native loves to manhandle defenders. He did it consistently while there, helping his team dominate the Ivy League. He’s got size and power to spare, an animal mentality and obviously isn’t dumb based on the school he went to.
#2 – Artavis Pierce (RB, Oregon State)
Another position that didn’t see any action this offseason was running back. Both veteran free agency and the draft went by without an addition of any kind. This is a tremendous vote of confidence in David Montgomery as their potential feature back with Tarik Cohen as his complimentary guy. What’s uncertain is whether they are sold on Ryan Nall as the third option. Something that has people nervous given his lack of notable productivity in limited chances.
This is where Artavis Pierce comes in. Despite never being “the guy” at Oregon State, he was always somebody who produced when called upon. In four seasons he racked up 2,127 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Where he might have a big advantage on Nall? Pierce caught 74 passes in college. He has definite versatility that would be a plus fit in this offense.
#1 – Rashad Smith (LB, Florida Atlantic)
One area of the Bears’ roster that took a tough hit in free agency was inside linebacker. Nick Kwiatkoski left for Las Vegas and Kevin Pierre-Louis left for Washington. Both were excellent reserves in 2018. This has left the depth at the position in question behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. Considering the Bears added no help in the draft, this is great news for Rashad Smith.
The FAU standout is seen as undersized for his position. Yet his productivity is hard to argue with. He finished with 280 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and six interceptions in his final three seasons as a starter. This included some pretty good performances against bigger programs like Ohio State and Oklahoma. If the Bears decide to carry just four inside linebackers, he’ll have to beat out either Joel Iyiegbuniwe or Josh Woods for that spot.
