When you get to the bottom of the Bears roster, you see a lot of familiar names who, for one reason or another, have never stuck as starters in the league. Many of the players in this grouping have stuck on as specialists but some are late-round draft picks who just haven’t had a chance to prove themselves yet.
57. Tyler Bray, QB
There isn’t a lot to say about Bray at this point. He won’t get any significant reps and is just about a lock for the practice squad. As far as emergency quarterbacks go, though, it could be a lot worse. Bray knows the offense and played well in the fourth preseason game last year. I’m still not convinced he isn’t better than Chase Daniel.
56. Abdullah Anderson, DL
If you’re looking for a candidate to be this year’s Nick Williams, Anderson might be a good bet. The former UDFA has impressed during camp and preseason and could be ready to crack the rotation. Appeared in six games for the Bears and got one sack.
55.DeAndre Houston-Carson, Safety
DHC doesn’t have the speed to ever be an effective safety, but he has been a regular contributor on special teams since his rookie season.
54. Eddy Pineiro, Kicker
The Bears obviously didn’t trust their rookie kicker in 2019 and he didn’t give them much reason to. He started strong and finished strong, but can he regularly make kicks beyond 40 yards? Can they even fathom 50-yarders? He has to prove it.
53. Patrick Scales, Long snapper
He’s a long snapper.
52. Lachavious Simmons, OL
His nickname “Pig” was almost enough to get him higher on the list. A big, raw athletic guard who might be able to play right tackle.
51. Arlington Hambright, OL
Hambright’s athleticism and college experience make him interesting. He fell off the radar more than anybody who played left tackle in college and showed a good athletic profile should. As of now, the Bears aren’t giving Simmons or Hambright a shot to compete at right guard, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if either ended up starting there in the near future.
50. Trevor Davis, WR
The 27-year-old speedster has just 16 career receptions, but has shown some ability in the return game with a career punt return average of 10.1. Played for three teams in 2019.
49. Jordan Lucas, Safety
Won’t be playing for the Bears in 2020 as one of the team’s two opt-out players. Has some starting experience and is a strong special teams player.
48. Ryan Nall, Running back
A preseason star, Nall figures to enter the 2020 season as the only true backup to David Montgomery. He has a good skill set for the offense, but has never gotten much of a shot during the regular season — likely for a reason. A solid special teams player.
47. Joel Iyiegbuniwe, LB
Iggy has been a solid special teams player, but certainly hasn’t proven to be worth the investment of a fourth-round draft pick. Entering his third year, the Bears need him to step up and be the third linebacker.
46. Josh Woods, LB
Woods passed Iggy on the depth chart at linebacker last year. A former college safety, Woods has put on nearly 30 pounds since entering the NFL and has been a solid special teams player.
45. Rashaad Coward, OL
How much do we judge Coward’s 2019 season? He was horrendous, but also playing a position he had never played before. The Bears seemed to think the coaching he got was inadequate as they replaced Harry Hiestand with Juan Castillo. A big player with a natural nasty streak, it’ll be interesting to see if Coward can do more in 2020. But, man, he was so bad in 2019.
44. Isaiah Irving, Edge
Irving has shown occasional flashes, but in 33 career games has just one sack. Primarily a special teams player, the Bears won’t be going into the 2020 season with Irving as their third or fourth edge, which means he could be looking for a new job a month from now.
43. Kindle Vildor, CB
A raw, but talented fifth-rounder from Georgia Southern. This could be one of Ryan Pace’s late-round steals as Vildor played well against top competition last year. A little short for the position, but he has long arms and an excellent athletic profile. The lack of camp could make it difficult for him to find a spot on defense — where he can play inside or outside — but he could make an impact on specials as a rookie.
42. John Jenkins, DL
In his second stint with the Bears, Jenkins figures to be a starter in the team’s base defense with Eddie Goldman opting-out. That probably isn’t a good thing for the Bears, but Jenkins has proven to be hard for offensive linemen to move in the NFL.
41. Brent Urban, DL
It wouldn’t be accurate to say Urban saved the Bears run defense in 2019, but he certainly helped. After getting gashed for a few weeks with Akiem Hicks injured, the Bears signed Urban and he slowed the bleeding. Like Jenkins, he provides no pass rush.
40. Pat O’Donnell, P
A punter with six career solo tackles and a 38-yard passing touchdown. POD has a tendency to get punts blocked — four in his career — and isn’t exceptional in any area, but I put him at 40 because he seems to go into every season without competition and I still haven’t figured out what to do with specialists on a list like this.
