Back in 2016, the Chicago Bears signed Roy Robertson-Harris out of UTEP. Not a lot of people knew who he was. All they could gather were a few highlights including one crazy video of him chasing down a running back 90 yards down the field to prevent a touchdown. Keeping in mind Robertson-Harris is 6’7 and weighed 255 lbs at the time. Just a freakish athlete. Most wondered if the team planned to make him a project at outside linebacker.
One year later after missing his rookie season on the NFI list, an interesting revelation was made. The Bears had spent the offseason instructing Robertson-Harris to put on more weight. They wanted him between 290 and 300 lbs. It became apparent they intended to make him a defensive end in their 3-4 system. Such an idea was a bit odd. Nobody could be sure how he’d respond to carrying all that extra mass.
To the Bears’ satisfaction. it worked out beautifully. Over the past two seasons, he’s carved out a prominent role as a rotation pass rusher on their defensive line. To date, he has five sacks, nine hits, and 39 pressures on opposing quarterbacks in 407 total passing down snaps. Expectations are even higher going into this season.
His success also may have set the stage for another potential Bears experiment. Ironically it involves another player with the last name of Harris.
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Chicago Bears may be tinkering with Jonathan Harris
Most fans weren’t aware of the name Jonathan Harris. Why should they have been? He was an undrafted free agent out of Lindenwood University. A small college of fewer than 7,500 students in Missouri. One that features a Division II football program that finished 4-7 in 2018. It’s no wonder the guy barely registered a blip on people’s radar. That didn’t stop the Bears from bringing him in. Apparently they liked what they saw too. He finished the preseason with seven tackles and four pressures including a hit on the quarterback.
That was enough to get him signed to the practice squad after final cuts. It was there that the Bears may have tipped their hand at something. Rather than being listed as a defensive lineman, which he arrived in Chicago as, Harris had the “LB” marker attached to his name. That meant the team designated him as a linebacker. Essentially this would make him Robertson-Harris, only in reverse. Is it even plausible though?
It certainly is.
If one were to watch the video above, they’d see how quick Harris is for a man his size. Defensive tackles don’t usually have that sort of lateral agility. He’s currently listed at 290 lbs. He’d probably want to lose around 30 to reach an acceptable weight for a 3-4 outside linebacker. Given he has a 6’5 frame with arms just shy of 34 inches? It makes perfect sense the coaches would see him as edge rusher material.
Obviously this doesn’t automatically mean the experiment will work out. Still, it’s a fascinating idea with plenty of upside. Given he’d be in the hands of Ted Monachino, one of the best outside linebacker coaches in the league? It is okay to feel some optimism.
