Situations like the 2022 Chicago Bears are ripe for surprises. A new regime has entered the picture with Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus. Over the past six months, they’ve overturned more than half of the roster. When something like this happens, it is a premium opportunity for unexpected names to insert themselves into the conversation courtesy of roster-wide competitions. Think back to 2015. Nobody expected Charles Leno, a 7th round pick, to ever be a genuine contender for a starting job. Then a new coaching staff arrived, gave him a chance to compete, and he became their permanent left tackle.
Eberflus has done the same thing. He laid down the challenge to everybody in the locker room at Halas Hall. The window is wide open. If you want to play, prove it. At least one person took that heart. According to defensive coordinator Alan Williams, no player has stood out more in training camp than linebacker Joe Thomas. He leads everybody on defense in takeaways and has become a favorite to swipe the starting strong-side linebacker job.
#Bears DC Alan Williams praises LB Joe Thomas – saying he is leading that group in takeaways. He has a shot to compete for strong side job and has been a previous core special teams player in the league.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 7, 2022
Chicago Bears are well-equipped to elevate someone like Thomas.
Eberflus is a former linebacker himself and coached the position for years in college and the NFL. He habitually elevated random names during his four seasons in Indianapolis. Anthony Walker and Zaire Franklin, both late round picks, are two great examples. Thomas was an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State in 2014. He battled his way onto the Green Bay Packers roster a year later and spent three seasons there as a backup and spot starter. Then he moved to Dallas, where he played the same role with the Cowboys.
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He’s started 16 games in his career and played in 89, amassing 218 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception. His biggest claim to fame is delivering a vicious hit on former Bears running back Ka’Deem Carey that knocked the “C” logo off his helmet.
By watching his film, it’s clear Thomas has decent size, good range, solid instincts, and brings plenty of violence. Nobody would ever mistake him for a star. Still, he is a solid short-term solution for what the Chicago Bears need. The strong-side linebacker won’t play as many snaps as the middle (Nicholas Morrow) or weak side (Roquan Smith) will. He will be a part-timer who adds value on special teams. It is easy to see why the coaches like him.
Not sure if it’s too late to repair Roquan Smith’s contract issues – and even if they were able to be resolved, RS can’t Unring the bell of his previous statements.
I hear Roquan wants a trade. Next man up!!
Roquans potential replacement haha