Rookie Expectations: Kylie Fitts
Kylie Fitts is an intriguing sixth round rookie for the Bears. What’s in store for him in year one?
The Chicago Bears need another pass rusher. Everybody knows this, including the Bears’ themselves. Many fans were ticked that they didn’t commit more of an effort into improving that position, but the Bears made the right choice. The edge draft class was bad and the free agency class was worse. For the Bears to over-commit to a bloated prospect or give someone a bad contract was only going to hurt the team. The Bears chose to spend money elsewhere and are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with either free agent pick up Aaron Lynch or their sixth-round draft choice, Kylie Fitts. Here’s what to potentially expect from Fitts in year one.
Best-Case Scenario
Fitts fell largely because he has durability concerns but he proves that it was an anomaly and not an issue. Fitts stays healthy and proves to be a valuable pass rusher for the team. Fitts proves that while not great against the run, he becomes a solid situational pass rusher for the Bears. He’s able to get decent pressure on the quarterback opposite Leonard Floyd and records somewhere in the ballpark of five sacks for the season. The Bears are hopeful that if Fitts’ injuries are behind him, that he can eventually become a starting edge player opposite Floyd and develop into a solid starter at that spot.
Worse-Case Scenario
Fitts continues to struggle with injuries throughout training camp and the preseason. The Bears have a hard time gauging his value and place him on IR with a *cough cough* season ending injury, basically red shirting him for a year and seeing what value he brings to the team in year two.
If Fitts is healthy enough to fight for a starting position. He proves that he struggles too much with blockers once he’s engaged and can’t get to the quarterback very efficiently. The Bears don’t want to give up hope on him but realize they can’t keep him on the active 53 as well. The Bears cut him, and with his injury concerns, no one picks him up. The Bears place him on their practice squad unit where he spends the entire 2018 season.
Odds Are
Fitts has a few injury issues but not enough to cause alarm for the season. He shows a few flashes in camp but shows that he isn’t ready to be a regular contributor at the NFL level. He makes the 53-man roster, but the Bears use him sparingly on defense and he’s mostly a special teams player. Fitts does get a few opportunities as a situational pass rusher and gets a few pressures on the QB and even records a sack, but it’s not enough to feel confident about his future. Fitts enters 2019 with no guarantees of a roster spot and will have to make a jump from year one to year two to keep his spot on the roster.