Chicago Bears linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe has much to lose on Saturday
The battle at inside linebacker has gotten intense over the last couple of weeks, thanks mostly due to the signing of veteran Alec Ogletree. Since joining the Bears, Ogletree has made a lot of noise in camp, coming up with several takeaways on his own. In preseason play, Ogletree has looked great as well, other than one misstep on a broken pass play to Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki.
Ogletree has basically set his spot on the roster in stone behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan. Some have even called for Ogletree to supplant Trevathan as a starter, which might actually be a positive for this unit.
There is intense competition for the other inside linebacker spot, assuming the Bears keep four, maybe five. Joel Iyiegbuniwe is now competing with Christian Jones, Josh Woods and undrafted free agent Caleb Johnson for a spot on this team.
Truly the only thing Iggy offers the Bears, at this point, is special teams experience. That’s something they could easily get out of Jones, Woods or even Ogletree if need be. Iyiegbuniwe has been hard to watch in preseason play so far, and if he doesn’t pick it up on Saturday, he’s in danger of being cut.
Going from a special teams staple to being released is a harsh reality that just might happen for this guy.