Could a position change land Rashaad Coward on the 53-man roster week one?
The Chicago Bears starting offensive line is pretty close to being set. If James Daniels continues to play well, he will start with Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long, Bobby Massie and Charles Leno. However, the linemen that will be backing up that group is far from settled. One player that is starting to stand out in that group is Rashaad Coward.
Coward was an undrafted free agent last season out of Old Dominion. Coward earned a spot on the practice squad last season, but he played on the defensive line. Matt Nagy announced earlier in the offseason that Coward would be switching to offensive line, and to see the progress he’s made has been quite impressive.
Coward has shown the ability to contain his man, not be pushed back on pass rushes, and has even gotten to the second level a few times. He made a key block on Taquan Mizzell’s touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chicago Bears reporter Laurence Holmes did note one issue with Coward:
It’s only a preseason game, but if it wasn’t, I could key run or pass off of how Rashaad Coward (#69) sets before the snap. Next offensive series, just watch him and see if you can do the same. #Bears
— Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) August 10, 2018
Holmes noted that Coward was leaning forward in his stance on runs and leaning back on passes. That’s an issue, you can’t be tipping plays as an offensive lineman. However, that issue is quite minor. Leaning doesn’t particularly help an offensive lineman vs a solid, balanced stance. Leaning is more mental. It’s correctable and I wouldn’t expect it to be an issue for Coward as he continues to learn the position and irons out these type of issues.
More from Bear Goggles On
- Franchise tag and transition tag windows open for Chicago Bears and NFL
- How the Chicago Bears can control the running back market in 2023
- The Chicago Bears can own the city of Chicago moving forward
- Chicago Bears NFL Combine Preview: Quarterback
- 7 best free agent tackle options for Chicago Bears
Coward has been seeing time at right tackle. Clearly the Bears are seeing if Coward will be able to step in and start at right tackle in 2019 after the inevitable departure of Bobby Massie after this season (his contract will be expiring).
After a couple more preseason games, if the Bears are becoming confident that Coward will be Massie’s inevitable replacement, they are not going to risk waiving him and stashing him on the practice squad. They won’t want to risk losing him.
If they think Coward’s ceiling is more of a backup tackle, they still might risk stashing him on the practice squad because losing someone who’s ceiling is backup tackle is not the end of the world.
Truthfully though, Coward’s play should only continue to improve as he continues to learn the position. The Bears previously had an undrafted defensive lineman that they moved to offensive line back int he 1990s. His name was James “Big Cat” Williams. For those of you who don’t know him, he eventually became a Pro Bowl-caliber player. Rashaad Coward knows exactly whose footsteps he’s following in.
Big Cat Williams #DLtoOL
— RC (@RashaadCoward) April 17, 2018
If Coward’s career follows the same path as Big Cat. The Bears have found themselves a keeper off the UDFA scrap heap and it’ll be another feather is Ryan Pace’s cap.