The Chicago Bears have enacted a new philosophy under GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. They’ve greatly emphasized acquiring young players with high athletic ceilings, regardless of experience level. It is hoped that with consistent, patient coaching, many of them will become quality football players, even if it may take a year or two. The term often used for this is “project.” One name that fits this exact label from 2022 was Kellen Diesch, a big left tackle they lured away from the Miami Dolphins.
Diesch stood out during the pre-draft process, looking good at the Senior Bowl and shining at the scouting combine. His 4.89 in the 40-yard dash at 6’7, 300 lbs was a highlight. His pass-blocking was impressive. The problem was his strength. Evaluators felt he was too light and lacked the necessary power for the NFL. He would need to fix both before he could push for a roster spot. It appears the 25-year-old has made considerable progress. He has stood out as one of the best tackles of the 2023 preseason.
The Chicago Bears have to love Diesch’s progress.
His athleticism remains on display. The pass protection is what stands out. He’s allowed only one QB pressure in 24 snaps. Pro Football Focus also has him a respectable 14th in run-blocking grade. Under normal circumstances, the second-year player might be in line to swipe the swing tackle spot behind Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones. There is one big obstacle in his way. That is Larry Borom. The former 5th round pick is the 4th-highest-rated tackle of the preseason, allowing only one quarterback pressure in 41 snaps.
Even his run-blocking has improved, earning a 97.6 grade on 31 snaps. Lesser competition or not, Borom is playing some of his best football lately. That swing tackle job belongs to him at this point. Hence why nobody is talking about Diesch. Still, this is a sign the Chicago Bears may have better depth at offensive tackle than some have thought. While Diesch may end up back on the practice squad, he’s done enough to get onto the main roster should an injury occur in the future. That is encouraging progress.
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Some guy you are correct. It will allow the 3rd QB who likely won’t be active on GameDay to be activated during the game if QB1 and QB2 get hurt in that same game.
TGena I have been in here for years. The site made me change my name for log in reasons. I was previously Tonkaman. But I’m not saying anything that most don’t agree with. You are always trying to prove people wrong and when you are right 10% of the time you make snark comments. People don’t want that. The only reason people are offensive to you is because every remark you make is condescending.
David — Forgive me for not recalling that we had ever met. It’s.quite obvious. You believe, that you know me. You brought up a lot. But let me clarify some things that seem to be troubling you. Lambert’s article states that Borom is “the 4th highest-rated-tackle of the preseason” — but in fact, the latest PFF ranking (11/22) has Borom at #6 in the “PBlk” (85..1) and #1 in both “Off” (97.0) and RBlk (97.6). Erik’s data was not PFF’s most current. You see David, it’s not so much that I “feel the need to prove people wrong” as it… Read more »
@David the emergency QB needs to be on the 53 man roster. the rule change is that the emergency QB doesn’t need to take a spot on the 48 man gameday roster.
Bagent will be 3rd QB on the team not practice squad. He’s going to be designated that 3rd QB because the new NFL rules now allows teams to carry a 3rd QB without taking up a roster spot on the 53 man roster.
I love the new rule but it’s only because one of the NFL’s favorite child teams (49ers) ran into bad luck in the playoffs having to finish the game on an emergency QB. Had that happened to the Bears or many other teams the NFL would have never changed the rule.