Chicago Bears' Matt Eberflus Provides Timeline on Kiran Amegadjie's Injury

The Chicago Bears' rookie mini-camp is in full swing and the action continued Friday with the players taking the field and head coach Matt Eberflus taking to the podium to answer a few questions. One of the biggest takeaways from Eberfluss's conversation with the media revolved around the health of third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie, who missed the final six games of his collegiate career due to a quad injury.

The injury prevented Amegadjie from participating in the on-field portions of the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, although the Yale product was in person for both events. Amegadjie was able to train with NFL veteran Willie Anderson over the offseason, where he worked on his form, but his health was always a factor in his draft analysis.

Still, the Bears elected to pick up Amegadjie in the third round of last month's draft, and Eberflus today provided the media and fans alike with an update on the rookie offensive lineman:

The two big takeaways from this message are that 1) the Bears and Amegadjie are and have been on the same page with the injury and 2) the Bears have targetted their official training camp as his return to practice.

Fortunately, Amegadjie's talents will not need to be relied upon heavily this season, as incumbent tackles Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright are penciled in to return as starters in 2024. This is important as the team should not feel pressure to hurry Amegadjie onto the field before his body is completely ready. It would not be surprising to see the Yale standout effectively redshirt his rookie season.

This process would be similar to Amegadjie's collegiate career at Yale. His freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tackle utilized that time to build on his body as well as his football acumen, both of which paid rewarding dividends on an individual and team basis. Taking a seat during the 2024 season may prove to have similar results, as Amegadjie could take the year to rehab his body to full health while working on his technique and knowledge of the playbook.

No matter what the team's plan for Amegadjie ends up being, it appears that the rookie will have to wait much later into the summer to get on the field at Halas Hall. Fortunately, Amegadjie knows how much he means to Bears fans, and he will certainly remain involved with the team throughout his rehab process.