Probably the biggest enigma of the Chicago Bears’ 2024 off-season was Kiran Amegadjie. Teams normally reserve 3rd round picks for players who might be able to contribute immediately. GM Ryan Poles opted to go out of his comfort zone. Amegadjie not only came from a smaller Ivy League program at Yale but also had suffered a season-ending quad injury. That meant it might take time before the team was comfortable giving him an opportunity despite his undeniable physical gifts.
He’s big, powerful, athletic, and has outstanding length. His nastiness as a blocker also stood out on multiple occasions. At last, after months of waiting, Amegadjie returned to practice around two weeks before the season began. He was recently upgraded to a full participant, meaning he is in pads and banging around with no restrictions. After a solid month of watching him work, Matt Eberflus admitted the rookie is closer than people think to seeing some action. Even his defensive teammates have taken notice.
“He’s really close. He has been working his tail off. His fundamentals are getting better. We love his length and his energy and passion that he plays with. He has been doing good. I have been asking the defensive ends and the D-line coaches about him two or three times per week, and it’s all positive. He’s getting better. It’s good to see.”
Kiran Amegadjie could solve a big problem for the Bears.
They have clear flaws on their offensive line, particularly along the interior. If he is close to being ready to play, they could plug him in at one of those spots. One possibility is putting him at guard, which he did play at Yale for a brief period. Nate Davis is already on thin ice with Eberflus and the coaching staff. Putting him next to Darnell Wright would make up a big and powerful right side of the line. They could also put Amegadjie at right tackle and shift Wright inside to guard if they feel more comfortable with that alignment.
Lots of people aren’t wild about putting him in yet. He hasn’t played real football since October of last year, to say nothing of making a big jump in competition. It might be best if Kiran Amegadjie spent this season learning from the bench. Try to fix the offensive line issue in other ways. That isn’t a bad idea. Then again, if he is showing lots of encouraging progress, the next logical step is getting him into some games. It doesn’t have to be for a full four quarters. Throw him in for a series or two. Get his feet wet.
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If he looks good, that will be confirmation he is ready for a real shot.
Personally, I’m against moving Wright from RT. The whole OL is having some issues now, and OL has to perform as a unit – problems drag them all down. Wright is on a trajectory to be a solid to great RT. If Kiran plays some OG this year, that’s great. Doesn’t matter what side. He did the same thing at Yale, playing OG his first year before moving out to OT. Good way to get him up to speed in the NFL game without risking him making a rookie mistake and letting Caleb get blindsided by an angry DE. Davis… Read more »
Agree nonobaddog, I would add though, They should ask Jenkins his preference. He may be comfortable now and want do stay there or he may be happy to return the the side he played for years. That also would let Kiran play the left for a year and if he proves to be very good can be worked into the left tackle spot. It’s harder to find a stud tackle in the draft unless you pick top half and also more expensive to find one as a free agent. (Nobody lets prime left tackles go FA)
Hey Erik —
Rather than report stupid crap like Kiran’s “. . .progress has reportedly surprised teammates.”
Why not investigate the severity of Amegadjie’s injury and the nature of his subsequent surgery.
You’ve got your avid readers hyped up to have Amegadjie play during the weak part of the season (the next 3 games) as if, he were 100%.
Do you know something that we don’t? Check with your “insiders” and get back to us, ASAP.
I would like to see Amegadjie at left guard and slide Jenkins back to right guard. Couldn’t be any worse than what we have been seeing.
“Throw him Amegadjie) in for a series or two. Get his feet wet.
If he looks good, that will be confirmation he is ready for a real shot.” — Erik Lambert
If his (Amegadjie’s) leg falls off — we’ll know Poles “did it, again!”
Another NFL 3rd-round pick squandered.