Chicago Bears UDFA Profile: Master Teague
By Dakota Wayne
Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears were criticized for not getting Justin Fields’ help in the 2022 NFL Draft, however, Poles made sure that after the draft was done, he’d get Fields a familiar face.
The Chicago Bears get Justin Fields a familiar face in UDFA signing, running back Master Teague
With David Montgomery on a “contract year,” aka the final year of his contract with the Chicago Bears, there’s not a sure answer on whether Montgomery will re-join the Bears next season.
He could re-sign before hitting the open market, but with Ryan Poles’ love for David Montgomery unknown, the Chicago Bears could be watching Master Teague backup Khalil Herbert next season– if the Bears don’t re-sign David Montgomery.
So, for Bears fans that might not have watched Master Teague and the Ohio State Buckeyes, who is he, and what kind of player is he?
As more of a backup running back throughout his time at Ohio State, Teague has been a good complimentary running back. Could he be the complimentary back to David Montgomery– or Khalil Herbert?
Master Teague career stats by season
- 2019: 135 rushes, 789 yards, 4 touchdowns
- 2020: 104 rushes, 514 yards, 8 touchdowns
- 2021: 67 rushes, 355 yards, 4 touchdowns
Each season, Teague seemingly fell behind a better back, but nonetheless, Master Teague could be a valuable asset to this new Chicago Bears offense. Sure, his production could use work, but as a primarily secondary runner, his stats are nothing to look down upon.
In 2019, Teague backed up J.K. Dobbins; in 2020, Teague backed up Trey Sermon; in 2021, Teague backed up TreVeyon Henderson.
Now, it could be said that if Master Teague was this all-encompassing running back, he’d be able to beat out this competition, but considering his UDFA status, there are some things he needs to work on before being the next big thing at the NFL level.
That being said, he has good size (5-foot-11, 225-pounds) and ran an official 4.4, 40-yard dash. So, with having familiarity with Justin Fields, having the size to be a good running back, and having 4.4 speed could make for a very dynamic running back for the Chicago Bears’ future.