The Bears reported to training camp last week with a large number of guys you probably don’t need to know.
This is my fifth year ranking the entire roster and the bottom of the roster is as much of a guess as it’s ever been. There are a few names on this list that fans know, but none who can be relied upon in 2020. What you can tell by looking at the list is that GM Ryan Pace values physical talent at the bottom of the roster. It’s unlikely that any of these players will make an impact in the NFL, but they’re in Chicago for a reason.
85. LaCale London, DL
A local product from Peoria and Western Illinois. Has great size (6’5”, 280), but wasn’t really exceptional, even as the small college level.
84. Reggie Davis, WR
The former Georgia product clocked a 4.31 40-yard dash time ahead of the 2017 NFL draft, but has never produced on the field. He caught just three passes in preseason last year and never had more than 12 in college. He did have a punt return for a touchdown at Georgia, but had otherwise pedestrian numbers as a return man.
83. Dieter Eiselen, OL
A 2019 first-team All-Ivy Leaguer from South Africa. Probably a long shot, but certainly sounds like a good story.
82. Darion Clark, TE
Yet another tight end. Clark is a 26-year-old former college basketball player from USC. He’s 6’7” and 220 pounds, but seems like a long shot to make the roster.
81. Dino Boyd, OL
A UDFA in 2019, Boyd spent time on the Chiefs, Bengals and Bears practice squads last season. He’s short (6’3”), but had nearly 35-inch arms.
80. Trevon McSwain, DL
Great size (6’6”, 285), but little production at Duke. Finished his career with 7.5 sacks and 12 QB pressures. Did have five forced fumbles.
79. Ramix Ahmed, K
The Bears latest attempt to find a kicker from nowhere led them to the 25-year-old who played at Nevada. He has a shot to beat out Piniero, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s good.
78. Lee Autry, DL
An undrafted rookie who didn’t get much of a chance to make an impact at Mississippi State. Autry had 2.5 TFLs and half a sack in five games last year before he was suspended the rest of the year. He played behind a talented front that included two first round picks in 2017 and was previously in the junior college ranks. He’s a little small at 6’2”, 305 pounds, but could surprise.
77. Michael Joseph, CB
Certainly seems like the last shot for the athletic Dubuque University product. The Bears took a flier on Joseph two seasons ago because of his size, athleticism and production, but he’s now 25 and has to turn heads to have a shot at making the roster.
76. Badara Traore, OT
The 6’7” 320 pound tackle started five games at LSU over the past two years. Was an all-conference junior college player before coming to LSU. This is an actual person.
[Editor’s Note: Every year I take Andrew’s word on this column. But I know he puts fake players in here.]
75. Ahmad Wagner, WR/TE
It remains to be seen where the former basketball player will play in the NFL, but he is interesting. Reportedly runs a 4.64 40 at 6’5” 234 pounds, caught just 15 passes in his only season at Kentucky, but averaged 16.9 yards per catch and had two touchdowns. He also drew 11 pass interference penalties.
74. Sam Mustipher, OL
Generally thought of as a decent UDFA prospect in 2019, Mustipher spent the entire season on the Bears practice squad. Was he just a pet of former OL coach Harry Hiestand? Or can he actually play?
73. Ledarius Mack, Edge
Probably only in Chicago because of his big brother, but it isn’t as if he can’t play at all. As a pass rush specialist Mack had seven sacks and 11 TFLs for Buffalo last season. He also forced three fumbles and recovered two — one of which he returned for a touchdown. He doesn’t have his brother’s size or talent, but who does?
72. Xavier Crawford, DB
A 2019 sixth-round pick played in five games for the Texans and Dolphins last year before the Bears signed him. The Central Michigan product has decent size (5’11”, 187) and great speed (4.37) so he’s certainly worth a look.
71. Artavis Pierce, RB
Probably the only true backup to Tarik Cohen on the roster. Pierce checks in at 5’10”, 209 pounds with a 4.47 40-time. Averaged 5.8 yards per carry throughout his collegiate career and caught 74 passes. Scored a total of 17 touchdowns in college as part of a loaded backfield at Oregon State.
70. Artie Burns, CB
After a promising start to his career, the former first-round pick has been largely unplayable. Burns finished his career with Pittsburgh playing in 10 games last year with one start, he allowed completions on all four of the passes thrown in his direction and gave up a touchdown. That comes after the 2018 season in which he allowed a passer rating of 143.2. Has physical skills and four career interceptions, but also has a long way to go before he can be considered a viable option.
69. James Vaughters, Edge
Appeared in three games for the Bears after picking up three sacks in preseason. Seems to have good burst off the edge, although lacks physicality.
68. Stephen Denmark, DB
Struggled at corner last year as a seventh-rounder from Valdosta State, but he has rare athletic traits that could lead to him being tried at safety.
67. Keandre Jones, LB
A UDFA from Maryland finished his collegiate career with a strong season with 15 TFLs, seven sacks and three forced fumbles. Spent his previous three seasons at Ohio State where he played in 14 games in 2017 and 2018, managing 29 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a blocked punt.
66. Rashad Smith, LB
A little undersized (217 pounds), but the FAU product finished his collegiate career with 11.5 sacks and seven interceptions. Was the MVP of the Boca Raton Bowl.
(Note: It wouldn’t be a surprise to see either Smith or Jones be the Bears ILB3 in 2019, but it’s hard to rank them above the others on the roster before they’ve played a game)
65. Jason Spriggs, OT
A physically talented former second-round pick, Spriggs lack of technique has made him a turnstile in the NFL. A good project for Juan Castillo, but a long shot to make the final roster.
64. Corey Levin, OG
An interesting player who actually started a game for Tennessee in 2018. Injuries forced him into the lineup on Oct. 21, 2018 and he helped the Titans ball carriers gain 164 yards on the ground. But he didn’t make the team in the next camp and was signed by the Broncos. The Bears signed him from Denver’s practice squad last November.
63. Jesper Horsted, TE
A converted wide receiver, Horsted made big plays in the preseason last year and had a huge touchdown catch against Detroit. He’s thought to have 4.5-40 time speed at about 235 pounds, but that never showed last year. Saubert passed him on the depth chart after being on the team for just a couple of weeks.
62. Thomas Ives, WR
Possesses a rare combination of height (6’5”) and speed (4.48) and showed flashes in preseason last year, finishing with five catches for 99 yards in the final preseason contest. Stuck on the team’s practice squad throughout 2019.
61. Eric Saubert, TE
A former fifth-round pick by the Titans out of Drake, Saubert is one of the more interesting tight ends on the Bears roster. Despite not being signed until Week 13 last year, he surged past the rest of the tight ends who had been with the team all season. He ended up catching a couple of passes after catching five in 2018 for Atlanta. He’s 6’5”, 253 pounds and ran a sub-4.7 40-yard dash with a 35-inch vertical.
60. Alex Bars, OL
Didn’t see the field much in the regular season, but there’s clearly something the Bears liked about the UDFA from Notre Dame. Many thought he would’ve been a mid-round draft pick if not for a knee injury his senior season. Showed versatility, playing some tackle in camp last year.
