After the Chicago Bears had OTA practices, Thomas Graham was one of the ascending players. The second-year player was getting first-team snaps in the slot, an encouraging sign that he may compete to start at training camp.
Unfortunately, his trajectory stalled out, and Graham has not been able to hit the practice field. Initially, it seemed like he would miss a couple of days and jump back in, but Matt Eberflus noted that Graham suffered a hamstring injury, and it is worse than it appears.
Matt Eberflus says CB Thomas Graham Jr is dealing with a hamstring injury and will be out for a little while. They got some news this morning that indicated he won't be back soon. #Bears
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) August 1, 2022
This just came on August 1, and then on August 4, the Chicago Bears brought in multiple defensive backs for a tryout, including Vernon Hargreaves. Hargreaves is similar in terms of size, as well as inside-outside versatility that would make you think he is trying out to fill a spot for an injured Graham.
The Bears are realizing that Graham may not be back at all during training camp. so rather than have a thin defensive back group, they will get a look at a veteran and see if something can stick.
This also may show that the team is not expecting Graham back for the season opener, either.
This is disappointing because Graham is entering his second season and could have been a young breakout player. He missed time with an injury the last offseason, which caused him to struggle to compete for any snaps on the field until later in the season.
Graham also sat out in 2020 due to the pandemic. When you add in this injury, you are not seeing Graham in the field very often over the past three years. All of a sudden Graham is going from a player who could ascend into a starter to a player who may not be trusted to stay on an NFL field.
This is notable because it is almost locking Kindle Vildor into a role. When Kyler Gordon plays outside, Tavon Young is starting in the slot, but when Gordon moves inside, it has been Vildor on the outside across from Jaylon Johnson. In a perfect world Graham can play both, but now Young and Vildor are expected to stick at their respective spots.