The Chicago Bears signed Alec Ogletree on Wednesday. This in response to a string of losses at their linebacker position. Josh Woods to a quad injury and Christian Jones to the COVID-19 list. The former 1st round pick seemed like an obvious choice. He has a wealth of starting experience, has played pretty well in the past, and also has ties to inside linebackers coach Bill McGovern.
Even so, it is difficult to know how long of a stay he’d have. If Woods and Jones were back quickly, he may not last long. Apparently the 29-year old understood that reality quite well. That meant only one thing. If he wanted to turn this into more of a long-term thing, he’d have to make a big first impression. Safe to say it was mission accomplished. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic revealed what everybody at Halas Hall saw next.
We saw the new “takeaway bucket” — a basketball hoop attached to a garbage bin — when Alec Ogletree, who was signed on Wednesday, picked off Nick Foles.
Say this for Ogletree.
He has a knack for intercepting Bears quarterbacks. He had two against them in 2018 and another in 2019. All as a member of the New York Giants. This makes it his fourth. A good reminder that the linebacker has a lot of versatility. His coverage prowess has always been somewhat underappreciated. Perhaps it just comes with the territory of playing on mostly bad teams during his NFL career.
No doubt he hopes he can turn his fortunes around in Chicago. With his 30th birthday approaching, his time in the league grows short. No doubt he’d like to contribute on a successful team once in his career before hanging up the cleats. Maybe the Bears can give him that chance. He is certainly off to a great start. With the entire preseason still to come, there will be further opportunities.
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Alec Ogletree may need more than just splashes on defense
Make no mistake. That is going to help his cause in a big way. However, one must remember a key factor with the Bears depth chart. If you’re a backup, the team typically prefers you be able to contribute on special teams. Woods and Jones both do that and do it well. Can Ogletree do the same? Remember he’s been a starter most of his career. So that was never a focal point of his game.
Answers to that question are forthcoming. Early indications are Jones should be back by Sunday from his COVID list stint. Woods is another matter. Quad injuries can be finicky in terms of recovery time. Similar to hamstrings and the like. If he’s out for an extended period of time, then Alec Ogletree could be in a serious position to steal his job. As GM Ryan Pace reiterated months ago.
The best ability is availability.
Eight days remain before the preseason opener against Miami. The Bears begin their first of three consecutive padded practices on Friday. Ogletree has some early momentum building. Now it comes down to whether it was a flash in the pan or something more sustainable.
