When the Chicago Bears drafted Kiran Amegadjie in the third round, fans were hoping the team found an instant upgrade from Braxton Jones. His lack of experience and the jump in competition made it unlikely for Amegadjie to start in year one, but the hope was that he would start his ascension this offseason. That has not been the case.
Amegadjie has been on the NFI throughout training camp due to an injury he suffered in college. The Bears thought that he would be good to go by now, but that his not been the case. Amegadjie already missed the Hall of Fame game, which would have been some of the most snaps he would have played all offseason.
Now, he is missing practice early into the week of the second game. The odds of him playing this week are low, even if he comes back and practices as soon as tomorrow. He is so far behind and has not taken any practice snaps.
The Bears have a real decision to make here. They can keep him on the NFI list, which would allow him to miss four games and eliminate the need to carry him on the 53-man roster.
Chicago Bears' facing a roster decision with Kiran Amegadjie.
This is a win because it gives them the extra roster spot, but does not end his season. The downside is that Amegadjie would not practice at all this summer. Even if he did return for week five, how far away from game-ready would he actually be?
If the Bears activate him from the NFI before the start of the season, they would have to decide to carry him on the 53-man roster. They could still place him on the IR. If they placed him on the IR before the initial 53-man roster, his season would be over. If they carry him on the 53-man roster, they can add him to the IR with a designation to return later in the season.
Again, there are pros and cons to both. If they place him on IR, it would mean that he got a few good weeks of training camp practice, which will be more helpful to him than any practice as a backup during game weeks. It also may mean he played in the last two preseason games. Still, it means that the Bears saw him and thought he was either so rusty or not completely recovered that he should not even be considered to play this season.
To be fair, at this rate, it is hard to see the Bears trusting him to play any time soon with this little work, and he will not get any chances when the season starts.
Lastly, carrying him on the roster means that he would have returned and played in the preseason. He also would have looked good enough that they want him to have a chance to play this season. Still, they would either have to trust him as the backup, keep an extra lineman, or they would want to place him on IR afterward. This involves more roster mechanics.
The Bears have three options, and they have about three weeks to figure out what to do with Kiran Amegadjie.