Chicago Bears: Is Michael Burton a 53-man roster lock?

Is Chicago Bears fullback Michael Burton playing his way onto the 53-man roster?

When the Chicago Bears signed Trey Burton, most Chicago Bears fans assumed that he was the only Burton on the roster. That is because fullback is not a sexy position, and Michael Burton did not stand out in that regard in 2017 either.

Still, Michael Burton was on the roster. When the Chicago Bears brought in Matt Nagy, and talk began about his up-tempo and passing offense, the idea of a fullback became even more tertiary. When they brought in Ryan Nall as a UDFA, the writing started to get more clear that Burton was on the chopping block.

Nall is a running back. However, he has size, can block and has lined up in the fullback role. Nall also can catch the football. His versatility is everything Nagy wants, and he can fill the Burton role plus some.

With that in mind, it was quite arguable that Burton was going to be on the outside looking in. However, after the Chicago Bears first two preseason games, it feels as though he is still quite firmly on the inside.

More from Bear Goggles On

Michael Burton started the Hall of Fame game. While one could question whether starting in a game where “starters” were rested is a good sign for Burton, his usage was a considerable arrow up.

Remember how we talked about Nall’s pass-catching being a huge pro in favor of him making the roster over Burton? Burton caught as many passes in the first quarter of the Hall of Fame game as he did in the 2017 regular season. One of those was a touchdown reception.

In Week One of the preseason, Burton saw the field on the first two third downs, standing next to Mitchell Trubisky. He ran routes and blocked on third down. He also was used early in the I-formation.

Matt Nagy likes versatility and all of the sudden Burton is showing it. He is a blocker first but has seen the field almost exclusively as a pass catcher so far. Better yet, he has performed in these spots.

Ryan Nall had a big run in Week One to boost his stats. Still, they have the same number of receptions so far, Nall has taken no snaps at fullback and has not even taken a snap in the first half. On top of that Taquan Mizzell has been struggling to get going after a rough night in Week One.

Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, and Benny Cunningham are locks to make this roster. From there, Michael Burton has a much better chance to make the team than Mizzell or Nall as things stand. We will see if the big run by Nall garners a more prominent role next week.

Home/Chicago Bears News