Chicago Bears 2022 roster ranking: No. 35 James O’Shaughnessy

The countdown to training camp is nearing as we near some of the top players on the Chicago Bears roster. We have been going from 90 all the way down to number one to look at which players are going to have the biggest impact on the 2022 roster.

We are all the way down to number 35 overall.

Chicago Bears 2022 roster ranking: No. 35 James O’Shaughnessy

The Chicago Bears signed James O’Shaughnessy as a free agent after he spent most of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has been with the Jaguars since 2017, but it was the Kansas City Chiefs who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL draft.

That is your connection to the new front office, as Ryan Poles was a college scouting coordinator for that draft class. He likely spent a lot of time watching O’Shaughnessy and seeing how his former draft pick has developed in the NFL.

While O’Shaughnessy is not a player that is going to be a key fantasy pick-up at tight end, he has lasted in the NFL since 2015, and Poles has had an interest for a specific reason.

A lot of it comes down to blocking and reliability. He is not an elite pass catcher, but they trust him to be in the right spot at the right time so that when he is called upon, he does not mess up. He can also seal off edges as a run blocker, and can move around from the backfield to in-line, and out into the slot.

He is probably not going to push Ryan Griffin for the second tight end spot, but as a third tight end, you will not find a better one in the NFL. While no one is celebrating that the team has one of the best number three tight ends in the NFL, it is a lot different than recent years when they needed anyone to fill any snaps at the spot.

Poles brought in professionals at the spot and not projects. He is locked into a role but is not an impact starter of any sort, so 35 looks about right for his pre-season ranking.