Chicago Bears fans may not have been paying attention to what is going on with the UFL this season, but there are players on the team who have taken notice, including one specific talent.
Former Bears running back Ian Wheeler is having a stellar season in the UFL with the Louisville Kings, as his team is going to the league championship game to play the DC Defenders at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Wheeler ran for 370 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season, but it was his playoff performance that has his former teammates buzzing.
In the Kings' 29-20 win over the St. Louis Battlehawks in the UFL playoffs, Wheeler had seven carries for 89 yards and scored on a 51-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to give them the lead. That performance caught the attention of former Green Bay Packers quarterback Kurt Benkert, who said on social media that Wheeler should be playing in the NFL this fall. Wheeler's former Bears teammate, Daniel Hardy, agreed, sharing Benkert's post on his social media story reel.
Daniel Hardy wants his former teammate on the Bears
Bears fans will know Wheeler pretty well as a great preseason player, as he has spent the last two training camps with the team. Last year, Wheeler was one of the leading rushers on the team with 100 yards and scored two touchdowns. Wheeler actually has four rushing scores in the last two years combined.
During his first season in the UFL, Wheeler has shown great ability as a downhill runner on short yardage while maintaining breakaway speed on the outside. That mix is hard to find in a running back.
The Bears are packed at running back with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai as the clear top backs. After them is a backlog of players that includes Salvon Ahmed, rookie Coleman Bennett, Brittain Brown, and Roschon Johnson.
What makes Wheeler intriguing is that he is already in football shape and playing well. He also has not taken as much physical abuse, despite playing 11 games, because former Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson has been splitting carries with him in Louisville.
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It feels like a long shot for Wheeler to make the team, but he is proving he can play in the NFL. The Bears would be crazy not to at least consider it.
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