One preseason game is all Bears' undrafted rookie needed to make 53-man roster

The beauty of the NFL preseason is that there is always a surprising player who pops up out of nowhere and puts on an excellent show for the fans. For the Chicago Bears, that man is undrafted rookie wide receiver Jahdae Walker.

It was quite the debut for Walker as the Bears tied with the Miami Dolphins 24-24 in the first preseason game for both teams in 2025. The memorable moment was Walker catching a perfect over-the-shoulder 14-yard touchdown from Case Keenum to give the Bears the lead in the fourth quarter. It was capped by him putting on one of the best touchdown celebrations of the preseason so far.

Walker finished the game with three receptions for a team-high 41 yards and a touchdown on five targets. He earned the respect of his teammates with Keenum paying him a strong compliment after the game.

"I really trust Jahdae in the short time I’ve gotten to know him."

Walker is working his way to a spot on the 53-man roster

For those who might not be as familiar with Walker, he was not selected in this year's NFL Draft after spending his college years at Texas A&M. The former Aggie had 64 receptions for 935 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons there.

Walker has good size at 6-foot-3 and makes for a solid outside receiving target. He showed fans and coaches against the Dolphins that he has good hands and is dangerous in one-on-one situations on the outside.

The problem is that Walker has a ton of competition to go up against to earn one of those final spots. Maurice Alexander had a nice touchdown catch against Miami, and with his relationship with head coach Ben Johnson that dates back to their Detroit Lions days, he has a shot to make the roster. Others to watch out for include JP Richardson, Tyler Scott, and Miles Boykin.

Read more: Bears linebacker needed just one preseason game to show he's a starter

That touchdown was much needed from Walker to keep his name in the conversation for the roster. More performances like that, and he should be able to sneak into the 53-man roster, at worst, be on the practice squad easily.