Chicago Bears Invite DT Terry Williams to Mini-Camp
There were a few undrafted free agents rumored to be signed by the Bears that weren’t on the list of 15 undrafted players officially signed that they released on Sunday. Those names that were missing from the Bears official release haven’t been signed yet, but they have at least been invited to try out at the Bears post-draft rookie mini-camp on May 8th-10th. It’s still possible they are signed before then, and if any are it will most likely be DT Terry Williams from East Carolina.
So far the Bears seemed to be focusing their mini-camp invites on defensive line players as three D-linemen, Terry Williams (ECU), Chrishon Rose (ECU), and Elkino Watson (USF), have been invited to try out along with SS Sam Carter (TCU). I’ve already covered Carter and broke down Terry Williams below.
DT Terry Williams, East Carolina (6’1 | 353 | 525)
Massive, 2-gap NT who is affectionately known as “The Swamp Monster”. If Williams manages to make the team, he would at least have the best nickname on the squad. He flashed NFL ability, just not often enough to warrant a draft pick apparently. With so few true 2-gap NTs, I was pretty sure Williams would be drafted in the 6th-7th round range at the latest. He does have some off-field red flags with a few weed suspensions but his tape was impressive enough to deserve a day 3 pick.
If you watch Williams against Virginia Tech (2013 & 2104), North Carolina, and Temple, he looks like a player who has legit NFL ability. He showed the ability to stack and shed blockers, to generate interior pressure, two impressive pass rush moves (spin, arm-over), and a surprising motor for a 350 pounder. Another possible red flag is Williams inconsistent effort level, he played much better in big games than in conference play against inferior competition. At times he flashed a quick first step, dominant power, and the lateral quickness to be a run stopping force. Williams just didn’t do it often enough. When you watch Williams on tape, especially against Virginia Tech when he was literally unblockable, it’s hard to understand why he wasn’t drafted or at least a priority signing.
Williams is a long-shot, but there aren’t many 350 pound players with his athleticism. Given the Bears lack of 3-4 D-line depth, Williams definitely has a shot to make the final 53-man roster.