Bears Sign Eight Players to Futures Contracts

Practice squad:

RB David Cobb – The Bears signed Cobb about halfway through this season after he failed to stick on the Steelers practice squad. It wasn’t too long ago that Cobb was a trendy sleeper pick to be a starting back in the NFL. The Titans drafted him in the 5th round of the 2015 draft, but after drafting Derrick Henry in the 2nd round this year they no longer needed Cobb, whose skill-set is similar to Henry’s.

He’s not quite as big as Henry at 6’0, 229 pounds, but he definitely qualifies as a big back in the NFL. Cobb broke the rushing yards record at Minnesota with 1,626 and added 13 touchdowns his final year there. He hasn’t been able to replicate his success at the NFL level but hasn’t been given much of a chance with just 52 carries.

Cobb hasn’t done much with his limited chances though, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry with one touchdown for the Titans last season. With Jordan Howard entrenched as the Bears primary power back, it would probably take an injury for Cobb to see the field next year but it’s a good plan to have a backup with power back potential.

G Cyril Richardson – When Cornelius Edison got called up to the active roster this year, the Bears replaced him on the practice squad with Richardson. Going into the 2014 draft, Richardson was one of the top guard prospects but a bad combine and Senior Bowl dropped him into the fifth round.

Richardson started four games as a rookie for the Bills but graded out as one of the worst linemen in the league in his brief stint. He spent last season on the Bills practice squad before being released mid-season. The Bears snatched Richardson up quickly and have locked him up for next year as well.

He’s a massive human at 6’5, 340 pounds and uses his size well to be a mauler in the run game. Richardson’s calling card is his run blocking ability and if he can keep his weight at a moveable level, he could be a force inside. He also has a good set up in pass pro but struggles with speed rushers due to a lack of lateral mobility.

This is a high-upside / low-floor type signing for the Bears as Richardson (25 years old) could still develop into a starting caliber guard, but could also be out of the league in a year or two if he can’t control his weight.

CB Rashaad Reynolds – One of my favorite sleeper corners from the 2014 NFL draft and a player I projected as a 3rd-4th round pick that year. Reynolds ended up going undrafted and then signed with the Jags as an undrafted free agent.

He broke his hand as a rookie and then spent 2015 on the Jags practice squad before being signed by the Lions earlier this season. Reynolds had just a brief stint with the Lions before being released and signed by the Bears last month.

Despite a lack of playing time in the league during his first two seasons, I still think Reynolds can be a useful corner at the NFL level. He has just average size (5’11, 187) but was one of the toughest corners in the Pac12 at Oregon St.

Here is my pre-draft scouting report on Reynolds:

"Started 38 consecutive games, so durability isn’t an issue. Reynolds is a cover corner with good instincts who makes up for a lack of top-end speed with flawless technique. Reynolds, a three-time state wrestling champ in high school, has good strength for a corner (20 reps), good agility (6.72 3-cone), sticky hands (6 INTs) and is a willing tackler. His lack of elite size or athleticism will probably drop him to the middle rounds, but he’s good enough to contribute right away and I think he will eventually be a starting NFL corner. Reynolds is one of the most underrated corners in the draft and could be a steal in the mid rounds."

I was clearly a little high on Reynolds, but he’s just 25 and could still make an impact in the league. The Bears need all the corners they can get and keeping Reynolds around was a solid move.

WR Dres Anderson – The son of Willie “Flipper” Anderson is another player who was projected to be drafted in 2015 but slipped out of the draft due to a knee injury that kept him out of the combine and post-season all-star games.  Anderson has good height (6’2) and speed (4.53) and was productive in college, ending his career with the 5th highest yardage total in Utah history.

He was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent last year and spent the season on the practice squad before being released around the middle of the 2016 season. The Bears picked him up a few weeks later and he spent the rest of the year on the Bears practice squad.

Anderson is a long-strider who excels on intermediate to deep passes. He lacks short area quickness due to his long legs, but has explosive acceleration once he gets going and is a legitimate weapon downfield with both the height to win jump balls and the long speed to outrun defensive backs.

Anderson had some issues with drops in college and also struggles to beat jams at the line of scrimmage. If Anderson has gotten stronger in the last two seasons he could improve his release off the line and complement his already dangerous downfield skills.

The Bears depth at receiver could change dramatically by the beginning of the 2017 season and Anderson could find himself in the mix for NFL snaps this year.

T William Poehls – The only player on this list that I really know nothing about. Here is what I put together from various scouting reports…

Massive tackle prospect (6’8., 334) who signed with the Titans as an undrafted rookie in 2014. Poehls spent his first two seasons in the league on the Titans practice squad but was released in final cuts before the 2016 season. He spent some time on the Bills practice squad before being signed by the Bears in early November.

There isn’t a lot of information out there on Poehls and without seeing him play I don’t have an opinion, but reports say he’s agile enough to play on the left side and has the power to be an impact blocker on the right. The Bears could use some depth at both tackle positions, so hopefully Poehls pans out.