Friday, December 13, 2024

Kiran Amegadjie’s Progress Has Reportedly Surprised Teammates

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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.

10 COMMENTS

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ElwoodNotJake
ElwoodNotJake
Sep 23, 2024 6:15 am

Maybe he can CLONE himself …

jmscooby
Sep 21, 2024 7:03 pm

I’m assuming Keenan has symptoms of Achilles tendonitis, and not really plantar fasciitis, but I could be wrong. He’s at that age, like those recent QBs. Like someone said earlier, his added weight probably exacerbated it. That’s why we can’t resign him unless it’s performance based. He’s a tear waiting to happen. Like Dr. Mel said, Kiran should stay at guard. Tackle is more stress medially and laterally on the knee, with the extra ground they have to cover, and being on an island a lot of times. The quad is huge in tracking the knee cap through the groove.… Read more »

jmscooby
Sep 21, 2024 6:53 pm

TGenda, You can hold your breath all day for the medical information on Kiran’s injury and surgery, but they have safeguards in place for that. Unless you have access to the surgeon’s operative report and diagnostic test results, it’s all speculation.
Kiran has been medically cleared. That means any type of surgical repair performed is now stable, and confirmed by tests. He’s already been ramped up through his rehab protocol. That repair has been stressed. If he had any type of adverse reaction such as swelling or pain, he wouldn’t have been cleared.

Rocketrider
Rocketrider
Sep 21, 2024 6:25 pm

Thanks DR. M . Nice to read intelligent thoughtful comments on Kiran. Agree wholeheartedly.

Dr. Melhus
Sep 21, 2024 3:55 pm

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 »

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