Along the path to a team's success over a long season, players are called upon to step up when circumstances arise. That's not a new concept, of course, and the Chicago Bears have had some people step up nicely when called upon on their route to an NFC North title and one playoff win (so far).
On that front league-wide, Ben Cooper of Pro Football Focus has highlighted the site's 10 highest-graded undrafted rookies from the regular season this year.
No. 6 on the list is Bears' wide receiver Jahdae Walker.
Walker parlayed a couple of clutch moments in the preseason into a spot on the Bears' 53-man roster. But before the last three games of the regular season, he had played just eight offensive snaps along with 61 special teams snaps and three special teams tackles over six games played.
PFF recognizes Jahdae Walker for how he stepped up when called on
"It was always going to be a challenge for Walker to carve out a role in the Bears’ crowded receiver room; even first-round pick Colston Loveland took some time to do so this season."
"Yet, the Texas A&M product came up big down the stretch, hauling in a pair of touchdown passes in Chicago’s final three regular-season games — including the game-tying score against the Packers in Week 16 with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation. He earned a career-best 75.4 PFF overall grade in that outing."
Walker's shining moment came in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers, with wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden out. He caught the game-tying touchdown in what became a pivotal game to help the Bears win the division. He followed that with a clear season-high 41 offensive snaps in Week 17, then he had another touchdown catch in Week 18.
Odunze was back healthy for the Wild Card Round win over the Packers, and Walker did not play a single snap in the game. But without his clutch touchdown catch in Week 16, and if everything else had played out as it did, that game would have been in Green Bay, not Chicago. The difference there is too obvious to need elaboration.
Read more: Bears player who must show out in the Divisional Round is sneaky yet obvious
Walker's role in whatever's left of the Bears' playoff run is unclear. But it's not an overstatement to say there's a chance it's already over without him stepping up when it really counted late in the regular season.