Ranking Chicago Bears Practice Squad Players
8. Stephen Denmark, DB
The former seventh-round pick is now heading to the practice squad for his second straight season. When the Bears drafted him they knew how raw he was, and fortunately for them, they seem to be buy-in from Denmark as well. Denmark knows that staying in this defense will give him the best chance to starting, and knows the Bears have the most invested in his success.
Still, after two offseasons things have quiet on the Denmark front. Signing Artie Burns and drafting Kindle Vildor and Jaylon Johnson does not speak to thinking Denmark will see the field any time soon.
Still, Burns is out and so is Kevin Toliver now. All of a sudden he is not too far from the active roster. It says something that the Bears are not ready for him to get on the field, but keeping him so far also says that they still think he can contribute at some point. Time will tell if he can take a leap soon.
7. Artavis Pierce, RB
Many thought Pierce would beat out Ryan Nall, which is puzzling considering he did not beat him out at Oregon State and did not produce as much as him when he left. Nall is more versatile and a stronger back, while Pierce is more a lightning type player.
Still, Bears fans wanting Pierce over Nall are just sick of Nall and liked the shiny new toy. Pierce could be fun but is not quite an NFL runner. Of course, when looking at the depth chart, the Bears are not far away from replicating the Oregon State backfield.
David Montgomery is banged up, Tarik Cohen and Cordarelle Patterson are somewhat gadget players, and that leaves just Ryan Nall. Of course, the other three will be ahead in the pecking order, but nothing is guaranteed in this backfield. Pierce knows that sticking around here could give him a chance soon.
6. Tyler Bray, QB
Tyler Bray is the most boring practice squad member because we all knew this would happen. We are five years away from Bray being a quarterback coach for a Nagy ran the offense. That is the extent of what Bray brings, though. He is an extension of the coaching staff, and a good eye to have in the room when looking through tape.
Still, as we have seen in the past, if Mitch Trubisky goes down, he is getting the call up to be the backup. He may never quite get to the starter level, but Nagy would trust him as an emergency backup in those situations. His relationship with the coaches and quarterback room go along way in him sticking around.
5. Lachavious Simmons, OG
The 2020 seventh-round pick has to at least have more intrigued than some of the UDFAs on the practice squad with him. Juan Castillo, Matt Nagy, and Ryan Pace clearly see something in Simmons and want to spend time with him.
However, he is a project and they know it. They wanted to draft him to ensure he spent the offseason with them, but they also knew that he could clear waivers and make his way back to their practice squad.
Of course, with Germain Ifedi, Alex Bars, Rashaad Coward, and Arlington Hambright, it is unlikely that Simmons sees the roster in his rookie year. Still, they added Simmons because they did not know what they had at guard, and there is hope that they can get something out of Simmons and plug him in. The question is, how far away is he?