Checking in on Chicago Bears' Biggest Project Players
While many Chicago Bears fans have been focusing on the team's big-name free-agent acquisitions or top draft picks during organized team activities (OTAs), there are many project players working hard this offseason to earn not only a roster spot, but also some playing time in 2015.
In Chicago, veterans like Pernell McPhee and Antrel Rolle are receiving attention as they participate in their first OTAs with the team, but project players like guard Ryan Groy, safety Anthony Jefferson and quarterback Shane Carden are quietly trying to make a name for themselves this offseason.
Project players are guys who came into the league raw but have a lot of upside. Some players can enter the league as raw projects and eventually develop into solid contributors, and the Bears hope they have a few of those players currently on their roster.
Just ahead, we check in on some of Chicago's biggest project players and take a look at what they will have to do this offseason to find a spot on the roster in 2015.
G Ryan Groy
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After the draft concluded last year, Groy signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent. He made starts at left tackle, left guard, center and fullback while at the University of Wisconsin, and he was once projected to be drafted in the third round of the 2014 draft.
He spent the first several weeks of the season on the team's practice squad before he was promoted to the active roster in early November.
He appeared in a total of four contests and started the final three games of the season at left guard. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 237 snaps last season and allowed just one sack, one quarterback hit and five quarterback hurries.
He struggled at times as a run-blocker, but he excelled in pass protection. He has a strong base and uses his hands well, but he will have to improve his agility and athleticism in order to be an effective run-blocker.
Veteran Matt Slauson is set to reclaim his role as the team's starter at left guard this season, but Groy could become the team's top reserve lineman if he can show off his versatility in OTAs and training camp. Even though he only played guard last season in Chicago, his experience at other positions during his time at Wisconsin could help him solidify a role this season.
“I think the more you can do, the more valuable you are to a football team,” Bears offensive line coach Dave Magazu said last September when he held the same position with the Denver Broncos, according to Lauren Giudice of DenverBroncos.com. “I think when you have flexibility, if God forbid, if there is an injury, you can play the next best guy and you might have to make two moves to get the next best guy on the field but it gives you different options.”
Groy won't beat out Slauson or Pro Bowler Kyle Long for one of the two starting guard spots this offseason, but he has a chance to become a key piece of Chicago's offensive line corps moving forward with a strong showing in training camp.
S Anthony Jefferson
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The Bears added Rolle in free agency and drafted Penn State's Adrian Amos in the fifth round of this year's draft to help solidify the team's secondary, but UCLA's Anthony Jefferson has a chance to earn a spot on the team's 53-man roster this offseason.
Following the conclusion of the draft, the Bears quickly signed the former Bruin as an undrafted free agent. Even though Jefferson has only been with the team for roughly a month, he has not found the transition from college to the NFL to be all that difficult.
"Football is football. We play some of the same coverages [at UCLA] that we’re learning now," Jefferson said, according to Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. "There’s just different ways to explain the job and your assignments. Once you learn the terminology of the defense, then everything will start coming more naturally."
He spent his career at UCLA as both a cornerback and safety, but because of his physicality, he is better suited playing strong safety in the NFL.
"Can read and break on the ball and gets his hands on a lot of passes," wrote Bo Marchionte of CBSSports.com in his scouting report of Jefferson. "Unlike most safeties, looks smooth going backward without losing much in transition. Isn't afraid to be physical and make impact in the run support."
As it currently stands, the only safeties the Bears have on the roster are Rolle, Amos, Ryan Mundy, Brock Vereen and Malcolm Bronson.
Rolle, Amos, Mundy and Vereen all appear to be locks to make the roster in 2015, but Jefferson has a chance to earn a role on special teams with a strong showing in the preseason. Like Groy, Jefferson's versatility should help him receive more playing time this offseason, and the young safety is prepared to make the most of his opportunities.
"I’m going to give it all, just make as many plays as I can," Jefferson said, according to Arkush.
He is raw and plays a bit stiff, but he has a lot of upside and could become a weapon for special teams coach Jeff Rodgers this season if he puts in the work this summer.
OLB Kyle Woestmann
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Unlike others on this list, Vanderbilt's Kyle Woestmann had to earn his spot on Chicago's roster during the team's rookie minicamp last month.
A four-year starter, Woestmann logged 100 total tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and forced five fumbles in his career with the Commodores. When he made the trip up to Chicago for rookie minicamp, he knew he just had to be himself out on the field.
"To be honest, I wasn’t stressed or [thinking], ‘I’ve got to come in here and prove something special to coaches,’" he said, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "I really just came in here and was like, ‘I’m going to worry about myself and just play football the way I’ve been coached to play and the way I know, which is a little bit more physical.’"
Woestmann spent the first three years of his career playing 4-3 defensive end before moving to 3-4 outside linebacker last season.
"It was a tough year, and it took me a while to take those tools that I had at [defensive end] to outside backer," he said, according to Adam Sparks of the Tennessean. "But I’m lucky I had that year to show that I am pretty versatile. I move well, and I tend to not get pushed around by many people. My strength is good, but I would like to get a little more flexible."
He played stiff at times last season, but he is strong at the point of attack and does a nice job of stacking and shedding would-be blockers. According to NFLDraftScout.com, Woestmann stands 6'3" and weighs 253 pounds and ran a 5.01-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. His speed is not ideal for the position, but he could become a contributor if given the chance to develop.
Out of all the names on this list, Woestmann will have the toughest time making the roster out of training camp. He is physically limited, but he has a terrific work ethic and attitude, and he is the type of player who would benefit from a season spent on the practice squad.
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CB Bryce Callahan
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Cornerback Bryce Callahan went undrafted last month, but the former Rice University star signed with the Bears immediately following the conclusion of the draft.
A four-year contributor for the Owls, Callahan registered 145 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and 13 interceptions in 47 career games. He is a quick cornerback who possesses good ball skills, but he is listed at 5'10" and 185 pounds, and his lack of ideal size and bulk is likely why he did not get drafted.
Because of his lack of size, he is better suited playing out of the slot, and Bleacher Report's Dan Hope thinks Callahan has a chance to compete for the nickelback job this offseason, writing:
"An explosive athlete who had a 43-inch vertical jump and 11-foot broad jump at his pro day, according to NFLDraftScout.com, Callahan possesses fluid hips, quick feet and a proven ability to make plays on the ball.
He projects to be too small to play as an outside cornerback in the NFL, but his movement skills and ball skills make him a good fit to play in the slot. He will need a strong preseason just to make the roster, with competition to come from Glenn, Hurst, Louis-Jean and others, but he could end up being a playmaker in dime packages—and perhaps in a greater capacity if the Bears have cornerback injuries again this year.
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Like Hope mentioned, winning the nickelback job over Jacoby Glenn, Demontre Hurst and Al Louis-Jean will not be easy for Callahan, but the position appears to be wide-open as the team heads into training camp.
Hurst will enter training camp later next month as the front-runner for the nickelback job, but he was average at best in his 373 snaps at the position last season, and Chicago's new coaching staff and front office have no previous ties to the former Oklahoma Sooner.
If Callahan can refine his technique and improve his toughness, he has a chance to not only earn a spot on the 53-man roster, but potentially enter the 2015 season as Chicago's No. 1 nickelback.
QB Shane Carden
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Each and every year, NFL teams try to find a diamond in the rough at the quarterback position after the NFL draft concludes, and Bears general manager Ryan Pace knows it is possible for an undrafted free agent to develop into a contributor at the position.
“I mean, I played with Tony Romo at Eastern Illinois,” Pace said before the draft, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “So I know what you can do with college free agency (at quarterback).”
The Bears struck quickly after the draft ended and signed East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden as an undrafted free agent.
Carden threw for nearly 12,000 yards and tossed 86 touchdowns to just 30 interceptions in three seasons with the Pirates, but he went undrafted because of his unusual delivery and mechanics.
“That’s kinda been my story, going throughout my career, being overlooked,” Carden said last month, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s fine. It kinda fires me up to prove more people wrong.”
Prior to the draft, Carden worked on his mechanics with former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Vinny Testaverde.
“I told him it has to make sense to you,” Testaverde said, according to Ron Clements of Perform Media, via SportingNews.com. “If it doesn’t make sense to you, then it’s not worth doing because you won’t believe in it. Everybody who has seen him throw before said he’s a different guy.”
The top two spots on Chicago's roster are virtually set in stone with veterans Jay Cutler and Jimmy Clausen, but Carden has a chance to earn the No. 3 quarterback spot this offseason. Second-year man David Fales and journeyman Pat Devlin are the other two quarterbacks on the roster, but Carden has more upside if he can continue to improve his mechanics.
His reps will be limited in OTAs and training camp with the team implementing a new offense, but if Carden can consistently show improvement on the practice field, he will get an opportunity in the preseason to prove he belongs on the roster.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Snap counts courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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