The Chicago Bears are going to have a hard time putting their roster together this year. Normally they’d reserve a handful of spots at the bottom of a roster for possible undrafted players who manage to stand out. This typically happens in the preseason. However, with COVID-19 getting the preseason canceled, it puts coaches and GMs in a difficult spot.
They have to evaluate the quality of such players in strictly practice settings. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace both have said they’re nervous about this. It increases the possibility that they might let a good player walk out the door because he didn’t get enough reps to show what he can do. This is where limited practice times can be a major hindrance to teams.
Yet that’s the reality. The good news is it seems some Bears rookies have taken this as a challenge. One of them being undrafted running back Artavis Pierce. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic has found it harder and harder not to notice him as training camp moves forward.
“Rookie Artavis Pierce has some wiggle to him. Remember how far away we were? There was a long run and it took a minute before we realized it was No. 37, the undrafted back out of Oregon State. Ryan Nall likely still makes the team ahead of Pierce because of his special teams work, but you’d think the Bears will make sure to keep Pierce on the practice squad.”
Chicago Bears haven’t shied away from praising Pierce
When the Bears concluded their initial moves on the undrafted market, there was a general feeling from the team that Pierce was one of the bigger names they wanted. When watching some of his tape, it isn’t hard to see why. He’s an agile young man with legitimate quickness and long speed. This makes him a danger in space and he has capability as a receiver out of the backfield.
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Pierce had a strong senior year at Oregon State. Despite just 169 total touches for the season, he managed 1,042 yards from scrimmage with seven touchdowns. This isn’t the type of back who will be a featured guy that runs it 20 times a game. However, he has the skills to be a matchup problem a team can move around in any situation.
