How would rank the Chicago Bears 90-man roster heading into the regular season?
With the long wait until the start of training camp it is a good chance to assess the entire Chicago Bears roster. This series will breakdown the top 90 players on the Chicago Bears roster. It will be weighted based on the potential impact that they may have. It is not an exact science, but a good way to start discussion about some players who could rise and fall up the rankings in training camp. Today, we look at players 70-66.
70. Jonathon Mincy
Jonathon Mincy was signed this offseason from the CFL. He spent the last two seasons playing for the Montreal Alouettes and really made a name for himself. In 32 games he had 108 tackles, three interceptions and three pass defensed.
Mincy plays smart on tape and shows an ability to read the play and make breaks on the football. The play below highlights a few of the skills of Mincy. He is able to sit in zone and recognize the route concepts, leaving the outside receiver to run behind him to make a play on the football. He also shows his ability to stick his head in and make the play.
Again, Mincy is reading and reacting. Watch the break and how much ground he is able to cover to make this play on the football. Followed by the ball skills.
Mincy is only 25 years old. While it was a weaker competition, he was getting real snaps and real playing time while a player such as Doran Grant was bouncing around from practice squad to practice squad. While Grant is coming into camp, Mincy is the cornerback who has been signed since the hiring of Nagy.
Mincy only stands at 5’10” and is likely designated to the slot. However, Bryce Callahan is only signed for one more season. Mincy can compete with Cre’Veon LeBlanc this offseason and try to make the team.
69. Marlon Brown
Malron Brown was signed for a specific reason. If Kevin White gets hurt, they want him to do what the poor version of Kevin White would do for their team. Marlon Brown comes in standing at 6’5″ 214 pounds. He is a big receiver. He is a red zone target. If Kevin White were to get hurt, they would need a player such as Marlon Brown.
However, Marlon Brown has proven that he does not have much upside behind what he is bringing to the table. The Baltimore Ravens, as they have been going through their wide receiver phase used Brown from the 2013-2015 season.
In his rookie season he had the glare of a potential gem. Below is what you could get from Marlon Brown. He had seven touchdowns and 524 receiving yards.
However, after his rookie season he started in just three games over the next two seasons. He dealt with some back injury issues in his last season and was let go after recording 112 yards in 2015.
In 2016, he went to training camp with the Denver Broncos, but was waived injured before the start of the season. The Broncos re-signed him in November and let him go injured again in December.
Now, he has a chance to be that bottom of the depth chart wide receiver. The player just relied on for the red zone. Can he hold down the low stress role? He will have to wait not only behind Kevin White, but also Javon Wims and Tanner Gentry, who make more compelling cases.
68. E.J. Norris
Elijah Norris is an interesting name to watch. He is a sleeper candidate and a priority UDFA from the small school of Shepherd. What is interesting about Norris is that he was a 2012 recruit to UConn, and spent two seasons playing Division One football.
Norris was able to fly under the radar over the next two seasons while dominating at the lower level. He was obviously undrafted due to this but the Chicago Bears clearly see something here.
Related Story: EJ Norris profile
What makes Norris worth looking into is his age. He is going to enter the season 24 years old. There is not going to be much time for him to grow on the practice squad. This is a player who has taken some twists and some turns but has a mature enough build to make an impact in the NFL.
The Chicago Bears knew that when they signed him and obviously know the weakness that they currently have his position. No, Norris is not going to enter camp too high on anybodies pecking order. However, he is a player who has more to gain than some of the other developments UDFAs.
67. Michael Burton
Earlier this offseason we discussed whether or not the Chicago Bears could free up two roster spots as a result of the potential release of Michael Burton. If this ranking is any indication of where the Bears should stand on the subject this should be the last season with Burton on the roster.
Half of the comments from the post where, “who is Michael Burton”, and “Michael Burton is on the roster?” Know your fullbacks, folks.
But seriously, the fact of the matter is that the traditional full back is losing its luster. We are in a matchup league now. Every skill player needs to be versatile. A full back who cannot catch is just an easy assignment for a defender today. A combination of Jordan Howard, who struggles to catch, and Burton in front of him is a call to crowd the box.
If the Chicago Bears want to run with Howard they want to spread the defense out and pound him between the tackles with plus number boxes. It brings a good question as to the value of Michael Burton on the roster.
Ryan Nall can play running back but can also block and line up in the h-back role. He can also catch the football. It feels as though Burton is behind the eight ball this season as the team looks to move away from the traditional full back.
66. Ben Braunecker
Ben Braunecker has been with the Chicago Bears for each of the past two seasons. While he has found his way onto the roster, only injuries have pushed him up beyond the practice squad.
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Now, he enters year three with more pressure than ever. The team has been adding tight ends around him left and right. All three of the recent tight end additions have come in the past two seasons and Trey Burton was brought in specifically by Matt Nagy to complete the position.
Nagy did not draft Braunecker and does have real ties to him. He is likely looking at Braunecker as an insurance piece to Adam Shaheen. They are closes match in skill set.
If Shaheen does get through camp healthy it will be interesting to see what happens. Braunecker has one more season of practice squad eligibility. However, it will be interesting to see if Nagy chooses to go with a player with more than one season of eligibility over him due to the change of direction in offense.