The Chicago Bears have tried to stay patient with former third round pick Hroniss Grasu. After originally being slated to start at center, the Oregon product tore his ACL in 2016 and lost his job to Cody Whitehair. Since then he’s served as the primary backup at center. Now even that job may be in jeopardy. As Grasu is out once again, this time with a calf issue, the Bears quietly signed a free agent to boost the depth at center.
Normally such moves shouldn’t be read too much into. They’re purely to fill up the back end of the depth chart in camp. However, this could end up being a special case. The Bears signed 25-year old Jack Allen, formerly of the New Orleans Saints where he served as backup for two years to Pro Bowler Max Unger.
Roster Update: We have signed OL Jack Allen and waived DL Bunmi Rotimi.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 27, 2018
Allen is an Illinois native out of Hinsdale. He actually won the state championship in wrestling during his high school years before heading off to Michigan State to play football. There he helped the Spartans win the Rose Bowl in 2013 and developed into an All-American center by 2015. Despite that success, he still ended up going undrafted.
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Jack Allen has traits that fit what the Chicago Bears do
The primary reasons he went undrafted were his limited size and athleticism. Yet draft experts were still high on him thanks to his strength, grit, intelligence and leadership qualities. He showed a clear understanding of how to mask his weaknesses while maximizing his strengths. He’s capable in pass protection and also demonstrates an ability to pull on running plays and screens, something that will feature heavily in the Bears offense.
Jack Allen is good pulling C. The nuances of OL play he demonstrates well in all phases. Smart & technically sound. pic.twitter.com/osWkf2RQDI
— Brandon Thorn (@VeteranScout) March 31, 2016
NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein was a fan of Allen. He expected the center to go in the fifth round two years ago, believing he offered tons of underappreciated value. That high opinion was reflected in who he compared Allen to.
Somebody Bears fans know and love.
“NFL COMPARISON: Olin Kreutz
BOTTOM LINE: Despite having a cat named “Bubbles,” Allen is a coach’s dream with the leadership, competitiveness and the tenacious mindset to grind out the will of defenders by the end of the fourth quarter. While there are clearly some athletic limitations, Allen is especially adept at minimizing those while accentuating his strengths. There are too many check marks in his favor to expect him to fall short of an NFL career as an eventual starter.”
Being compared to Bears royalty is never a bad thing. Nobody is saying Allen will be a future star in Chicago, but if they were looking for a dependable backup they can’t do much better. Allen is a tough grinder who understands who to work hard and seems the type that will be ready to play if and when the need ever arises. If nothing else he gives the team an excuse to move on from Grasu who has been mostly a disappointment.
