GM Ryan Poles has made one thing clear. He will never stop acquiring talented players if he thinks they can be salvaged. His trade for N’Keal Harry and waiver claim of Alex Leatherwood, two former 1st round picks, proves as much. That trend continued on Wednesday when the Chicago Bears claimed Michael Ojemudia off of waivers from the Denver Broncos. The former Iowa standout was a 3rd round pick in 2020, starting 11 games as a rookie and forcing four fumbles. He looked like he had a bright future ahead of him.
Things turned against him the following year. It started when Denver signed Kyle Fuller in free agency and got worse when they drafted Patrick Surtain II in the 1st round. He was quickly buried on the depth chart. Then things got worse when injuries started to strike. A hamstring problem sidelined him for most of 2021. He played well when he retired late in the year, but an elbow injury slowed his momentum before the start of 2022. Combine that with the arrival of a new coaching staff, and his hopes of regaining a starting job were squashed.
Ojemudia is precisely what the Chicago Bears like.
He’s big, athletic, and has long arms. All three are critical traits for head coach Matt Eberflus. Most importantly, he gets his hands on the football. Before his four forced fumbles in 2020, he had six interceptions over his final two years in college. This new Bears defense is built around creating turnovers. Ojemudia has shown he can do that. What he needs is an opportunity. Chicago is the perfect place. Jaylon Johnson is done for the year with finger and rib injuries. Kindle Vildor remains out. Depth is a serious issue for this team. It creates a wide open void for Ojemudia to step in and make an impression.
He has one year left on his rookie contract. So the Chicago Bears control him through the 2023 season. They have time to do some evaluating. If he’s able to look like the player he was at the end of last season when he was locking down guys like Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman, then Poles may have landed a gem. Health is the crucial factor in this. Staying on the field is paramount. It will be interesting to see if the Bears coaches get him involved right away against Detroit and Minnesota these last two weeks.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
This is all about getting to find depth pieces or diamonds in the rough right now. Dudes are down and let’s see that’s out there. If this guy can ball he’s worth keeping! Good luck to him!!
@Thomas Gena has to be the most miserable person every day he wakes up. He wakes up asking himself, “where am I going to spew my hate garbage today?” What a solid plan.
It could be very interesting if this kid returns to form. Combined with Johnson and Gordon, he could give the Bears one of the stingiest group of CBs in the league. Also, if that appears to be a likely scenario to the coaching staff, it will fill a need on this roster prior to FA or the Draft. It also shows that R Poles is true to his word that he will continuously attempt to find quality players wherever they may be at any time during his tenure as GM.
Hey the crybaby Thomas Gena showed back up. Guess his mom got his internet fixed
Erik Lambert: “GM Ryan Poles has made one thing clear. He will never stop acquiring talented players if he thinks they can be salvaged.”
Great — when does he start with the “talented” players?