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
25. Adam Shaheen
Adam Shaheen could be in for a huge season. Shaheen played in 239 snaps last season as a rookie, which still felt low. Shaheen looked good in his limited time on the football and progressed every step of the way.
Shaheen is a former basketball player, and at Ashland, he was used as a mismatch tight end more than an in-line blocker. Still, as an in-line blocker in his rookie season, he excelled.
Shaheen was strong at the line of scrimmage, but his real value came moving out into space. Watch the play below. He pulls off the combination block by shoving the end, getting into space and clearing out the defensive back. This was in week five of his rookie season.
Shaheen is also a major red zone presence. He had three touchdowns on 12 receptions. That is a strong rate. Most of that is because that is where he was used, he was targeted four times within two yards of the end zone. Still, Shaheen converted and proved that this role is for him.
Shaheen is going to be a perfect compliment to Trey Burton. The duo could really provide schematic advantages, and he could really be in for a huge season with a head coach who knows how to use him.
24. Eric Kush
Eric Kush spent three seasons in the NFL before catching on with the Chicago Bears. However, in 2016, with injuries across the line, Kush was thrown into action. In eight games, he started four for the Chicago Bears. He showed powerful as an interior lineman who can play center and guard.
There was buzz for Kush heading into the 2017 season. Then, a torn hamstring ended his year in the summer. Kush is heading into 2018 trying to reinstall that buzz around his name.
So far, it has worked. Despite being drafted in the second round, early reports out of OTAs are that Kush and James Daniels will enter training camp in a direct competition.
Daniels has the edge, obviously. He is more athletic and has plenty more upside. However, Kush is stronger now with more experience. It should be an interesting battle in camp.
Guard is going to be a strong suit this season. While he could be a third guard with little impact, he could also be a key starter on a strong unit. That value gets him into the top 25.
23. Nick Kwiatkoski
Nick Kwiatkoski is in a similar spot to Eric Kush. He may not be starting much, but his value as a depth player should give the Bears a strong feeling heading into the season.
Kwiatkowski was a fourth-round pick from West Virginia. He was thrown into the fire as a rookie due to the downfall of Jerrell Freeman. However, he looked promising. Freeman went down early into 2017, and Kwiatkowski was given another chance.
Unfortunately, he went down with a similar injury early into his first start. It took him a while to get back and unseat Christian Jones, but he was able to start five games to end the season. Entering year three he has 13 NFL starts and has experience calling plays.
Still, in a perfect world, he is not playing much this season. Danny Trevathan is healthy and Roquan Smith fell to them. Kwiatkowski is a special teams asset as well and will have value nonetheless.
They also have an experienced backup who can ease a rookie in Roquan Smith along, and also compete with Joel Iyiegbuniwe, another linebacker drafted recently in the fourth round. Linebacker is a strong group because of a player such as Kwiatkowski.
22. Jonathan Bullard
When Jonathan Bullard was drafted in the third round, there was a lot of buzz around his name. His highlight tape was strong, but his game tape was inconsistent. The team was banking on the highlight tape taking over the full-time tape.
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Still, over the first two seasons, Bullard has started in three games and has failed to unseat Mitch Unrein. The upside has been the same, but the downside has sadly been equally as similar.
Now, entering year three, there is a chance for him to take advantage and truly be one of the best 22 players on the roster. Mitch Unrein is gone. That is likely due to them banking on Bullard taking that step forward.
Towards the end of last season, it started to show. Watch the play below. He is able to hold the back end and avoid over pursuing. Bullard would typically overpower the lineman so far to the right that he would have left the back end exposed for a cutback run.
He is starting to get better. Roy Robertson-Harris is going to cut into his snaps, but he should be seeing a much bigger role. 2018 is the year to see what the Chicago Bears have in Jonathan Bullard.
21. Anthony Miller
The Chicago Bears traded a future second-round pick to acquire Anthony Miller in the 2018 NFL draft. They have some real plans for him in 2018. Miller is a bit undersized, and profiles as a strong slot receiver.
Miller is a strong route runner who also can do serious damage with the football in his hands. This is where he will be thriving with the Chicago Bears next season.
The Bears have talked about making life easier for Mitchell Trubisky. They have talked about the value of him identifying presnap and getting the ball out of his hands quickly.
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He will be getting the ball into the hands of Miller, who has the vision, strength, and footwork to make big plays with the football in his hands.
The question will be whether or not he or Taylor Gabriel is a more valuable piece to the offense. Gabriel brings more of a deep field presence but also can work with the ball in his hands in a similar way to Miller. The two will be complimenting each other, but also competing for number two duties, as both receivers can work in and out of the slot.