Ranking the Chicago Bears Roster: 80-76

How would you rank the Chicago Bears 90-man roster heading into 2019?

With a long break between offseason workouts and the start of training camp, there are not going to be many roster changes or any breakings news for the next month or so. This gives us a perfect time to sit back and reflect on where the. Chicago Bears stand and where they might go from here.This series will go through ranking the Bears roster based solely on their 2019 expectations. The ranking will blend in their talent level, their potential contributions to 2019, and the value of their impact on the roster.

Yesterday, we looked at players 90-81.  Today we look at 80-76.

80. John Wirtel, LS

One of the tougher players to rank in this entire project is the backup long snapper. On one hand, this is a long snapper. His value is going to be minimal even if he makes the roster. On the other hand, as the backup long snapper, he has a much better chance to make the roster than say, Thomas Ives, in our last post who would come in as the 11th or 12th receiver on the depth chart.

Wirtel will compete with Patrick Scales, but has a great chance of being forgotten within the next month or so. Most fans just learned he was on the roster today.

79. Ellis Richardson, TE

Ellis Richardson will be a player to watch this summer in camp. Richardson is a 2019 UDFA who will enter his rookie season in 2019. He will play tight end, but is still raw at the position.

Richardson played quarterback most of his career. However, as a junior at Georgia Southern, he moved to tight end full-time as he was stuck in a backup quarterback spot. It obviously took time, but in two seasons Richardson made the transition.

Georgia Southern does not run a high passing offense. With that said, he finished his career with just 19 receptions, although five went for touchdowns.

So, with Richardson, the Bears have a raw rookie who was barely used in the passing game in his time at college. However, a plus he does have is that he hit the ground running as a blocker.

That is the toughest part to transfer to the NFL, and while he certainly has a ways to go there, the combination of his quarterback smarts and blocking prowess in college bring enough intrigue that the team may want to invest in him on the practice squad.

78. Jesper Horsted, TE

Jesper Horsted is a very interesting prospect who is a 2019 UDFA from Princeton. Similarly to Ellis Richardson, Horsted is converting from another position. However, while Richardson is a quarterback moving to tight end, Horsted is a former wide receiver who will look to develop as a blocker.

Horsted is 225 pounds and is rather athletic. Take a look at him taking on Derrick Baity, another UDFA from this class.

Horsted also played baseball at Princeton and finished as a .312 career hitter. The fact is that he has excelled in everything he has been asked to do so far, and he has been spreading himself thin.

Now, he has a chance to step in and be a pass-catching tight end if he can become a more steady blocker.

When thinking about his progression, and understanding that he is not developed, his best case could be a year on the practice squad. His worst case could be a career as a baseball player, as well.

Still, when looking at the tight ends on the Bears roster, he has a better shot to stick around than if he stuck at wide receiver. His pass catching prowess also gives him a head up over Richardson heading into camp.

77. Ian Bunting, TE

Ian Bunting finishes off our run of UDFA rookie tight ends. Bunting is a 2019 UDFA from California. Naturally, Bunting gets the nod over the other two because he has been playing tight end his entire football career.

However, while the other two may present longer-term upside with much worse floors, Bunting is a more natural tight end who also comes with a lower potential ceiling.

Bunting originally spent his time at Michigan, but in three years struggled to beat out Zach Gentry, who was drafted by the Steelers in 2019. After failing to beat out Gentry, Bunting transferred to California, where he caught 18 balls for 195 yards.

Bunting comes in at 6’7″, 256 pounds. He is a much stronger blocker than the other two, and considering the team is moving Bradley Sowell to tight end to add blocking to the position, Bunting has a shot to stand out.

He has a slight lead over his UDFA peers, and now has to set his sights on Ben Braunecker.

76. Blake Blackmar, OL

The Chicago Bears did a really strong job at addressing the offensive line this offseason with UDFAs. One of those was Blake Blackmar, a 2019 rookie UDFA from Baylor.

Blackmar had a quiet camp, but he is going to be another player that is worth watching this summer. Blackmar comes in at 6’5″, 323 pounds. For his size, he has sound athleticism as well. Blackmar can move.

Of course, there is a reason that Blackmar fell to a UDFA and is the first of five UDFA rookies from this draft class listed.

Blackmar played in an uptempo passing offense. He benefitted from how quickly the ball got out, and did not show much in run blocking. Essentially, Blackmar is a huge ball of clay ready to be molded into something more.

Blackmar presents excitement, but it is much more longterm optimism than 2019.