How do the top players on the Chicago Bears roster rank in terms of their 2019 value?
Now that there is a long wait between the offseason workout programs and training camp there likely is not much movement that will happen on the 90-man roster. So, heading into camp it is a great chance to look into the potential value and roster chances of every player in the group.
This will look solely into their 2019 value and rank them based on their chances of producing this season, combined with the Chicago Bears reliance on him to produce this season.
With that in mind, let us get the bottom 10 players on the roster.
90. Jordan McCray, G
Jordan McCray was signed AFTER offseason workouts. He has the profile of what you would typically call a camp body. Considering he is so far behind in the playbook, and familiarity with the other players, it is going to be tough for him to stand out in camp practices. With that in mind, he is unlikely to play significant reps in the preseason.
McCray has bounced around practice squads since 2014 and had a stint in the AAF. His professionalism, and desire to show up every day and compete this summer will help set the tone. However, he is only looked at as a player who will push others.
89. Jordan Williams-Lambert, WR
On the surface, Williams-Lambert is an interesting player, considering he stands at 6’3″ as a listed height. Adding in that he is from Chicago makes his summer a nice stay at home. However, the 2016 UDFA from Ball State is in a long line of players at wide receiver.
Williams-Lambert was in the AAF as well and will show professionalism throughout the summer, but he ranks so low because he would need name after name to drop in the receiver room to see him climb.
88. Jonathan Harris, Defensive line
Harris is a UDFA from Lindenwood who had back to back six sack seasons. He comes in at about 6’5″ and 290 pounds, which would put him mostly at the three-technique position. He will come into camp with the willingness to compete but is behind names such as Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, and even players such as Nick Williams and Abdullah Anderson.
The best case for Harris would be to show that the small school did not make a difference and have the Bears use a practice squad spot on him. His worst case is seeing the reality of big-time football and losing a job by August.
87. Jameer Thurman, Line Backer
Thurman is an undersized linebacker. He played his college football at Indiana State before spending a year in Canada with the Calgary Stampede. The Chicagi Bears saw enough to invite him to camp, but he has an uphill battle as well with what looks like a strong linebacker group.
Special teams is his only chance of making noise next season, and even there he sees younger names with more upside.
86. Josh Simmons, Safety
Simmons is a bigger safety who played his college football at Limestone. A 2019 UDFA, Simmons stands at 6’3″ and comes out after 15 college interceptions. Still, like most players in this group, he will have to show that he did not succeed because of his competition.
Fortunately for Simmons safety is not the toughest group to navigate, but he is a long way from the 53-man roster where he currently stands. We will see what he can do in camp.
85. James Vaughters, Edge
James Vaughters is a local player from Chicago who played his college football at Stanford. A 2015 UDFA, Vaughters spent time with the Packers, Patriots, and Chargers in his career, as well as a couple of stints with the Calgary Stampede.
We last saw Vaughters in the CFL, where he played two seasons. Vaughters is 25 and does not have much upside, but he is a pass rusher, and the Bears need depth there. This bumps him over the lowest names on the list.
84. Doyin Jibowu, DB
Doyin Jibowu is a defensive back from Fort Hays State. Like most of these lower end players he is going to have to prove that the lack of competition he has faced was not an issue. However, there are a few reasons he stood outside of the bottom five.
He is only 22 years old, younger than any other player on the list, he stands at 6’2″, and he can play cornerback and safety. Jibowu also has special teams value. He can stand out in all of these areas, but the most that would likely mean is a practice squad stint.
83. Thomas Ives, WR
Thomas Ives stands out immediately because he is listed at 6’5″. Coming from Colgate, he is a former captain and a 2019 UDFA. He presents intrigue as he was challenged in the Ivy League more than some of the lower UDFAs on this list, but he also is playing wide receiver in a room that has a lot of names competing for some bottom of the roster spots.
82. Jalen Dalton, NT
Jalen Dalton is a 6’6″, 300-pound UDFA from North Carolina. Dalton struggled to stay on the field at UNC, which is obviously going to present hurdles in the NFL. However, he looks like an NFL player. When he is on the field, there are flashes and spots where you can see an NFL nose tackle. Due to the limited options at the position, he sits a bit higher, but he has to prove health, and that will take time.
81. Daryle Banfield, NT
Banfield is another 300-pound defensive lineman. He does not have the big-school pedigree of Jalen Dalton, but had serious success, and stayed healthy in his time at Brown. He has Ivy League experience and will be competing for reps with Dalton one-on-one. We give the early edge to Banfield, but the best case is that one of the two catches on with the practice squad this offseason.