The Chicago Bears have become much better in the past couple of years at identifying quality talent on the undrafted market. GM Ryan Poles started off strong by landing linebacker Jack Sanborn out of Wisconsin. He’s become a quality starter on an ascending defense. Last year, they landed Tyson Bagent, who has quickly become a highly respected backup quarterback. It appears Poles may have done it again. This time, his big find is cornerback Reddy Steward out of Troy.
There wasn’t much said about him after the draft, and experts hardly mentioned his name. However, the Bears saw somebody with the mental and physical makeup for their defense. Steward was not only a strong tackler but also had seven interceptions in college, demonstrating a nose for the ball. He demonstrated the former with two tackles for a loss in the first two preseason games. On Thursday night in Kansas City, he showed a national audience what he can do with two interceptions.
One came at the goal line. The other became a pick-six.
Ryan Poles has an incredible eye for cornerbacks.
That was already apparent with draft picks like Kyler Gordon and Tyrique Stevenson. It is easy to overlook others like Terrell Smith and Josh Blackwell, who have been quality backups since they arrived. Now you add Steward to the mix, and the Bears may arguably possess the deepest cornerback group in the NFL. It is surreal to think that, considering the position hasn’t typically been the strength of past Chicago defenses. That was almost always linebacker or defensive line. It proves that Ryan Poles keenly understands today’s football trends. Pass rushers and cornerbacks are the two most premium positions in the league. The more good ones you have, the better your defense plays. More than anything, it is a great story for Steward. Presuming he makes the roster, it quiets a lot of doubters about his NFL prospects.
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The success of failure of drafts and free agency is probably more reliant, and indicative in the long run, of the quality and consistency of the Bears coaching, than most individual players. If the Bears look good, it is interesting that their second team, and third team outshines the first, second or third team players of other franchises. That is coaching moreso than quality of draft assessments. I see constant commentary about how some players. an “start” coming directly from college, and others are “developmental.” It’s true to some level, but the team, as a whole, is a coordination and… Read more »
Reddy is definitely making a case to be on the roster of 53 and he is someone to watch. The kid just seems to be a natural disrupting force on the back end.
You’re right. None of us know any of the variables involved. That’s why I put it all on Poles. Is that fair? Of course not. But we can’t reliably assign the “good and the bad” to the various individuals. It all belongs to Poles. If Kiran had played in the SEC, a third-round pick might be reasonable. But Yale? Please. And (again we don’t really know) if Amegadjie’s injury is the “worst case” variety. But a 50% chance of recovery (to starting in the NFL) is the historical data on those worst cases. Jamal Adams is the most recent case… Read more »
…and let your ego go. It wasn’t about you. I need to tell everyone how smart I am. Purdy.
TGena, you are being impatient expecting immediate results. You’re also basing your decisions on a lot of blind information that goes on behind the scenes regarding negotiations, medical checks, and other team’s actions and intentions. If there was even a little bit of ligamentous laxity in Wilson’s knee, I’m assuming he would be off many teams draft boards when you also factor in his medical history. We just don’t have that info, so there is no reason to be a sourpuss about taking a LT with a high ceiling over a LB in a Tampa II system. I do not… Read more »