Chicago Bears End of season evaluation: Isaiah Irving

How did Isaiah Irving’s 2017 play out compared to expectations

With the Chicago Bears season now over, we will go through the roster and review how each player live up to expectations. For this edition, Isaiah Irving

Preseason Expectations:

Irving was not going to make the team. He was an undrafted free agent and would get cut and clear waivers easily to get onto the Chicago Bears practice squad. If everything went according to plan he would spend a season on the practice squad and the team could reassess in the offseason.

2017 Review:

Injury happened and Irving found himself on the roster. Irving was brought up in Week five, but hardly saw the field. By Week Seven he was on special teams seeing a role. Then, in Week 11 Irving saw his chance to see a significant role, playing 36 snaps against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was not a bad outing for his role and expectations. However, the following week he was placed on the injured reserve with a knee injury.

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Offseason outlook

Any time a player ends their season on the injured reserve after seeing real playing time for the first it can bring concerns. Especially for an undersized player like Irving. Stil, compared to expectations, it is tough to say that he failed to meet them. He stuck around a roster long enough to get on the field. He held up against Lane Johnson in a limited role. His rookie year could have gone worse. The Bears are going to have to make serious decisions on the edge this offseason. Knowing that at the least he can bring special teams snaps gives him a chance to compete once again for a last roster spot.