The Chicago Bears are in a tough spot this season. They are coming off back-to-back 8-8 seasons. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace appear to be on the hot seat as we all assume both are on the final season of their contracts — an assumption we must make based on Ted Phillips’ secrecy surrounding Pace.
Ryan Pace’s first attempt at solving the quarterback problem came to an ugly demise this offseason, as Mitch Trubisky, the Bears’ second-overall pick of 2017, did not live up to expectations and was not re-signed after his rookie deal this offseason. Instead, Trubisky now finds himself as a backup in Buffalo. It will be interesting to see how the rest of Trubisky’s career plays out, but for now, the Chicago Bears and fans do not need to be concerned with that.
Instead, the Chicago Bears are looking to head in a new, positive direction with the drafting of Justin Fields this offseason. Fields is not the same type of prospect as Trubisky was though. Fields has proven himself more than once and looks to be the franchise quarterback the organization has deserved for years.
Obviously, Fields is not concerned about making this team He is a lock, his focus is on earning the starting job. The Chicago Bears have added a few names that could shockingly make the final roster though. A few names that may have been on the team last year, who some might not think will make the roster this year, could also surprise us by sticking around again.
The Chicago Bears could surprise us by keeping Ryan Nall again
The first name on the list that comes to mind is Ryan Nall. Nall is entering the fourth year of his NFL career. For an undrafted free agent, Nall should be fairly happy with how his career has unfolded thus far. Like many undrafted free agents, Nall signed with a team (the Bears) and fought his way to stay on the practice squad. He never saw playing time his rookie year (2018) but found his way on the field for parts of 2019.
Nall only had two carries in 2019, which he turned into eight yards. Before you get too excited about his 4.0 yards-per-carry average, he gained seven yards on one and one yard on the other. Nall became slightly more prominent in 2020 because Tarik Cohen tore his ACL in Week 3 and missed the remainder of the season. Nall still did not do much with his opportunities. He finished with three rushes for zero yards and eight catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
With the additions of Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert, it would be surprising to see Nall make the final 53-man roster. However, it seems that Nall constantly defeats the odds and sticks around.