How would you rank the Chicago Bears 90-man roster heading into training camp?
Ranking 90-86 85-81 80-76 75-71 70-66 65-61 60-56 55-50
30. Bobby Massie
With the group of pass rushers that may compliment Leonard Floyd already mentioned, right tackle becomes the teams next biggest weakness. When Bobby Massie was signed he was supposed to be a solid veteran who could hold down his spot on the right side.
What the Chicago Bears got was a roller coaster of up and downs over the past two seasons. Massie has started in 30 games over the past two seasons. In that span, he has been a below average starter the entire time. Last season, he rated as the #39 offensive tackle by PFF, a below average grading.
There was some speculation that the team may have been interested in a tackle this draft to try to replace Massie. However, the team walked away with little competition at the moment. Whether he is the weak spot or not, Massie is going to be a starter next season is going to be relied upon on the right side.
Massie is a free agent in 2019. It would be nice to see him show up in a contract season and give the Bears a reason to hold onto him this offseason.
29. Cre’Von LeBlanc
Cre’Von LeBlanc is going to enter the season as a backup in the slot. However, based on his talent, he could be a starter for a few teams. LeBlanc has been with the Chicago Bears for two seasons now.
As he enters year three with the team, he has been a player who has shown real progress. LeBlanc started nine games as a rookie and started four last season with Bryce Callahan sideline with an injury.
Over that span, he was able to show the physicality to matchup with Alshon Jeffrey over the middle. He also should great body control to recover and make a play on the ball.
He also showed the speed to follow Nelson Agholor across the field.
LeBlanc was impressive in his limited time on the field. If Callahan were to go down, the team would have to feel pretty comfortable about where they stand in the slot, especially compared to other positions on this roster. LeBlanc is a relied on option on this team with a potential role that could be impactful.
28. Deon Bush
Deon Bush is entering year three, and it appears as though the same team has some decently big plans for him. He has been noted as a winner of the offseason and showed up to OTAs ready to compete for playing time.
However, little in his profile has shown a player that the Bears should be trusting. This is a player who started in six games as a rookie and looked like a fourth-round rookie.
In 2017, he looked like he had not progressed. He spent most of the early season in the coaches dog house. Bush got a chance against the Philadelphia Eagles, but a miscue again saw him benched. Bush got a chance to see significant snaps against the Detroit Lions, but again was not very inspiring.
Stil, the team is prepping him up to be their safety number three. The third safety has become more and more of a need in today’s NFL with sub-package football taking over.
Bush and Eddie Jackson can play deep and slide Adrian Amos into the box for dime situations. This means a true role with a likely large increase in playing time for Bush in 2018. Here is to hoping that the hype is real.
27. Dion Sims
Dion Sims is going to be making over $6 million this season for the Chicago Bears. However, it seems as though he is not going to be in a role that is going to live up to the money. Matt Nagy has talked a lot about 13 personnel and the value of three tight ends. Still, if there is going to be a third tight end, it is Dion Sims.
Matt Nagy stressed the need for Trey Burton. He knows that Sims does not possess the skill set that he is looking for and needs from Burton. On top of that, the team invested a second round pick in Adam Shaheen. Shaheen turned out to be a much better run blocker than anticipated.
He should be in for a big role next season. At the same time, that means that Sims should be in for a lesser role. Sims only caught 15 passes for 180 yards last season. He is a better blocker than pass catcher and even his pass blocking has faded a bit.
Still, as Nagy mentioned there is a role for Sims here. The Bears had the chance to let him go and chose not to. While he is not the tight end one that he needed to be last season, the Chicago Bears value the skill set that he can bring as a third tight end.
26. Roy Robertson-Harris
Roy Robertson-Harris is on an opposite trajectory from Dion Sims. He is a bit unproven, began to show what he can do last season, and is in for a potential increase in his role next season.
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Ryan Pace has had some solid UDFA gems on this list, and Robertson-Harris is no different. Robertson-Harris was an oversized edge rusher who had to transform to a defensive line. He has taken to the challenge quickly and after one season on the practice squad moved his way up to the 53-man roster in 2017.
Robertson-Harris played in 212 snaps last season, about 20-30% per week. In his rotational role, he finished with two sacks. However, this season, Mitch Unrein has signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The team drafted Bilal Nichols in round five, but Robertson-Harris should have the edge on him heading into camp. Jonathan Bullard will present a roadblock for snaps, but the two bring a bit of a different skill set.
Robertson-Harris will not be moving to a full-time starter role, but he will be seeing an increase in what his role was. He has yet to prove that he is a relied on player yet, but his trajectory has him set for another leap forward with this increase in role. Watch out for a potentially big season from Roy Robertson-Harris.