The Chicago Bears didn’t come out of their big win over Las Vegas unscathed. Jeremiah Attaochu, one of their primary reserve outside linebackers left the game with a pectoral injury and didn’t return. Further tests have since revealed the worst-case scenario. It was a tear. This means Attaochu is done for the season. An unfortunate turn of events for the team and the player.
Attaochu had five pressures over the first five games of the season. While he never collected a sack, he was able to help make opposing QBs uncomfortable. With him out, it’s a surefire guarantee that second-year man Trevis Gipson will see more snaps moving forward. Things were already pointed in that direction. Gipson has a sack in each of the past two games and is playing good football. Where it gets interesting though is what the Bears did as a countermove.
In a corresponding move, the #Bears are activating OLB/DL Sam Kamara from their practice squad to the 53-man roster, per source. https://t.co/5SKGb8hvVO
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) October 12, 2021
Obviously, the team was going to add somebody to the roster.
Attaochu’s spot would have to be filled. The curious part is Kamara being the choice. Conventional wisdom says it probably was going to be Charles Snowden. The undrafted free agent has more experience as an edge rusher and played against better competition in college. Many felt he was one of the best undrafted signings in the league and certainly played well enough in the preseason to prove it. Snowden had five pressures and two sacks.
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So why Kamara? Well, he had a good preseason too. In fact, he had six pressures including a sack and two hits on opposing quarterbacks. Something made all the more impressive by this fact. Kamara comes from Stony Brook, a small program, and he played defensive tackle in college. So not only was he playing higher competition but at a totally new position. It seems the Bears really liked what they saw then and have seen since.
Hard to question the Chicago Bears in this
Sean Desai has pushed all the right buttons so far for this defense. His work as a brand new coordinator has been nothing short of exemplary. Despite clear issues in the secondary, he’s been able to mask them thanks to the creative use of the front seven and a dominant pass rush. Attaochu was part of that. With him gone, somebody else will have to step up in his place.
While Gipson should get a chunk of those snaps, the Chicago Bears believe Kamara has something to offer. Based on what people saw during the summer, they aren’t wrong. It will be interesting to see how much progress he has made in the past month. Is his body morphing more into an outside linebacker now? Is he more confident in his techniques?
These questions should be answered moving forward.
Either way, it’s a pretty fun story that doesn’t sound real. A kid makes a name for himself as a defensive tackle at a small school. He gets signed as an undrafted rookie, is asked to shift to a completely different position, does so, plays well and not long after is brought up to the main roster. Another reminder that the NFL is forever unpredictable.