The Chicago Bears have long kept their ways of acquiring talent to a specific set of methods. It involved the NFL draft, veteran free agency, and the trade market. They have almost never deviated from that formula over the years, even as the game has expanded in popularity. No players from other leagues, like spring football or the CFL. No international prospects, either. However, things have changed since general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson took over. The team is embracing new ways of finding talent more than ever before.
They signed two players from the United Football League this offseason and gave a Canadian-born player (Theo Benedet) significant playing time last year. Now it appears the Bears are pushing their search into far less-used pipelines. This one is the international rugby circuit. News arrived that the team hosted two notable players from the sister sport: Kaylan Faumui and Ben Te Kura.
Faumui is an Australian-born Samoan who ascended through the country’s rugby ranks at a young age. Unfortunately, an injury pushed him away from the sport, and he quickly embraced American football. Te Kura earned renown as the tallest rugby player in history at 6’9″. Like Faumui, he showed lots of early promise before injuries set him back. NFL scouts convinced him to try football.
Why Ben Johnson wants to look at them isn’t difficult to see.
The two young men are tall, strong specimens with great mobility for their size. Such athletes tend to make really good offensive tackles. The NFL has already seen this happen before. Philadelphia famously acquired Jordan Mailata in 2018 as a 7th round pick. He became their starting left tackle in 2020 and has since helped them to two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi trophy in 2024. He is living proof that rugby players can make it in the league. No doubt Johnson thinks the idea has merit.
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So far, Mailata is the only one to reach a high level. Several rugby players have made the attempt. However, most ended up going back to rugby. The problem is that they often don’t realize how complex American football is until they reach the NFL. Specialized techniques are required for each position, and they take time to learn. It’s not a coincidence Mailata didn’t play until his third season. That is how long it took before the Eagles felt he was ready. The good news for both Faumui and Te Kura is that they’re both 22 years old. They are young enough to learn the game and still have time to put together a productive career.
This is a gamble worth taking.
Ben Johnson knows what he has, or more specifically, who he has. Dan Roushar is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business. He’s particularly renowned for his ability to teach the position, something Terron Armstead believes is in shorter supply than the NFL wants you to think. If anybody is capable of truly developing two raw talents like Faumui and Te Kura, it’d be him. We already know the man has a certain way with giant offensive tackles. You saw it last year with Ozzy Trapilo and with Andrus Peat in New Orleans.
If the Bears sign either player, it will be because they like the talent and they believe they have the intelligence and work ethic to learn the position. Johnson going this route isn’t a surprise. He still doesn’t have a definitive option at left tackle. Until he does, it makes sense to keep exploring his options. You never know where one might pop up. Philadelphia learned that with Mailata. Chicago has a setup similar to the Eagles’.
