After three preseason games, former fourth round pick Joel Iyiegbuniwe seems destined for the practice squad
When Joel Iyiegbuniwe was drafted out of Western Kentucky it was a questionable pick. He was a bit unknown but has speed that was needed in todays NFL and in the fourth round was an intriguing flyer.
It was expected that he would take time to grow into an NFL body in the first season, but he was certain to make the roster. Iggy did just as expected in year one. So, in year two, the idea was that he would be challenging Nick Kwiatkowski for linebacker 3 snaps.
However, before the draft the team added Kevin Pierre-Louis which did not appear to be good news for Iggy. From there, Iggy has done nothing of note to stand out.
In the first preseason game, Pierre-Louis started ahead of him. In the second game, he was behind Josh Woods. In the third, he played with Josh Woods, and you could argue Woods was the better player. Iggy went from a player looking to the third linebacker to a fifth and potentially sixth option.
The most damning note when looking into the status of Iggy on the 53-man roster is his special teams value. One of the key reasons Chicago was interested was a special teams floor.
Iggy has logged ten special teams snaps thus far. That is over 20 less than Josh Woods, and over 30 less than Kylie Fitts and James Vaughters.
When it comes to making the last roster spot, special teams value is what gets you in the door. In that regard, he is behind Ryan Nall, and Ian Bunting who are both well over 30 special teams snaps this preseason.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe is running with the third team linebackers, and arguably is not even with the backups on special teams. The question should not be if he makes the 53-man roster, but what are the chances the Bears just move on all together, as they seem to be very disappointed with his offseason.