On August 4th, the Chicago Bears signed veteran inside linebacker Alec Ogletree. The move was easy to understand. The position took a number of hits on the health front. Josh Woods injuring his quad and Christian Jones landing on the COVID-19 list. Ogletree had connections to inside linebackers coach Bill McGovern and brought lots of starting experience from his stops in St. Louis/L.A. and New York.
At the time, people felt the 29-year old might have a minor chance to crack the main roster. He was arriving so late in the process and would have to catch up on the system. Usually even veterans struggled to get up to speed under such conditions. It seems somebody forgot to tell Ogletree that. It is a pretty safe assumption that the linebacker has delivered perhaps the greatest first 72 hours in Bears training camp history.
One that has seen him deliver a whopping five interceptions.
Nick Foles was just intercepted for a pick-6 in team drills. Looked on the roster for No. 44 and he wasn't on there. That's because No. 44 is recently signed LB Alec Ogletree.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) August 5, 2021
Alec Ogletree has two INTs in RB vs LB drills early here. #Bears
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 6, 2021
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New Bears LB Alec Ogletree just recorded his third interception of the day.
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) August 6, 2021
Alec Ogletree = interception machine. Just got another one after TE Jesse James failed to complete the catch.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 7, 2021
Remember this isn’t a cornerback or a safety. This is a linebacker making these plays. Ogletree was always solid in coverage but this is getting kind of ridiculous. In three days he went from fringe camp body to a genuine threat to be the #3 inside linebacker behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. That sort of thing just doesn’t happen. No question he has caught the attention of the Bears coaching staff.
The next step will be determining whether he can carry this into actual games. Preseason action begins in a week against the Miami Dolphins. He’s certain to see plenty of opportunities as a backup. If he continues to make big plays like this, then it becomes almost a certainty that he is going to make the final roster. Then it becomes a question of who ends up losing their job to make room for him. Never an easy decision.
People do forget that Alec Ogletree can actually play
The guy was a 1st round pick. That doesn’t happen without at least being physically gifted. While nobody can call his career up to this point anything special, Ogletree has delivered his share of strong seasons. He had 136 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes defended in 2016 with the Rams. Then two years later he had 93 tackles, a sack, five interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns for the Giants.
Alec Ogletree is not your normal late summer roster addition. He has genuine ability and tons of experience. This is also easily the most talented defense he’s ever played on. That can’t be ignored either. Make no mistake. It may have only been three days but it’s all he needed because now a genuine competition has exploded at inside linebacker. Woods and Jones aren’t the only ones who should be worried. Former 4th round pick Joel Iyiegbuniwe should be feeling nervous too.
It’s already apparent he is a superior player on defense.
The deciding factor could be special teams. Can Ogletree make any sort of meaningful contributions in the 3rd phase? Woods, Jones, and Iyiebuniwe all have strong track records there. So if the veteran can provide any sort of help, then his grip on a roster spot will be tightened even further.
