Normally, teams get their players from one of four categories: free agency, trades, the draft, or undrafted free agency. However, a new avenue pops up from time to time: another football league. For years, it was almost always the CFL (Canadian Football League). Recently, though, there has been an unexpected boon of spring leagues, starting with the reconstituted USFL and XFL. Those two entities merged last year to form the UFL, or United Football League. While hardly a hotbed of superstar talent, the spring leagues have been able to churn out notable contributors on occasion for the NFL. The Chicago Bears are among many teams that dabble in it.
They did so again this offseason, bringing in former Philadelphia Stars wide receiver Maurice Alexander. He was a big part of their championship game appearance in 2022. Now, according to CHGO, he’s making noise in early training camp practices.
I found myself asking myself today: “Self, who is No. 13?” No. 13 is Maurice Alexander, whom the Bears signed in January…
…Alexander’s NFL journey started with Detroit in 2022, where he bounced back and forth from the practice squad. Yep, Ben Johnson knows him well.
And the Bears quarterbacks are starting to know him well, too.
Alexander caught passes from Williams and Bagent and had one go off his hands from Case Keenum. Alexander has played in four games in the NFL and has one catch. Johnson must see something in him. If you are coming out to practice this weekend, there’s a good chance you are going to notice No. 13 catching the ball.
Alexander has considerable value.
He started his college career at Florida International as a quarterback before switching to wide receiver. Rather than try undrafted free agency, he opted to go to the USFL, where he was a solid pass-catcher who thrived as a kick and punt returner. His 31 yards per kick return was a big reason for the Stars’ success. After that, he spent three years with the Detroit Lions, where he became familiar with Ben Johnson.
The Chicago Bears have an interesting competition unfolding.
They already know what their top four wide receiver slots will look like once the roster cuts begin. D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Olamide Zacchaeus are all locks. Those final (presumably) two spots are up for grabs. Alexander has a huge advantage thanks to his return ability and knowledge of Johnson’s offense. He is battling undrafted rookie JP Richardson, who has repeatedly flashed through the first three practices. No doubt others will try to stake their claims in the competition. This is exactly what Johnson wanted. The more competitive juices he can get going in training camp, the better everybody plays. Alexander is no stranger to this. Fighting for recognition sums up his entire career. That experience should serve him well over the next month of action.
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