Thus far everybody knows the major players of Chicago Bears training camp in 2019. They can be split into groups. There’s Mitch Trubisky with his assorted wide receivers. There is the new array of running backs in David Montgomery and Mike Davis. Then there is, of course, Khalil Mack on defense along with newcomer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the secondary. Last but not least are the two kickers Elliott Fry and Eddy Pineiro.
Sift through most of the media mentions about action down in Bourbonnais, odds are those are the names talked about the most. This isn’t a surprise. All of those players are expected to play a pivotal role in the team’s fortunes for this season. One with the highest of expectations. However, it also has made it difficult to take notice of others on the roster who are performing better than one would’ve thought.
This includes receiver Javon Wims, rookie tight end Ian Bunting, and running back Ryan Nall. The biggest name worth noting though, especially at the Friday practice, was Joel Iyiegbuniwe. Remember him? Most people probably do but find it way too easy to forget him. That’s not a surprise. The kid was a 4th round pick in 2018. Just a few rounds after Roquan Smith was taken 8th overall. A lot of people didn’t understand the choice at the time.
Then the rookie became one of their most productive special teams players. Based on his performance in camp thus far, he may have his eyes on a bigger prize.
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Chicago Bears training camp has heard “Iggy” mentioned lots
Iyiegbuniwe first got attention a few days ago when he delivered a pair of sacks during drills. It was the first indication that the second-year linebacker from Western Kentucky was showing signs of progress. That continued in a big way at the August 2nd practice. During pass protection drills with the running backs, “Iggy” repeatedly abused both Montgomery and Davis for easy sacks. His mixture of quickness and surprising power were on display.
This in addition to the speed and athleticism people already knew he had.
This presents an intriguing development for the Bears. Why? It has to do with Danny Trevathan. The veteran linebacker remains firmly entrenched as the starter alongside Smith. That is until his contract is set to expire in March of 2020. At that point, the team will have a tough decision to make. Do they re-sign him at the age of 30 or do they think about going in a different direction?
Iyiegbuniwe continuing to flash like this may end up forcing their hand. There’s no doubt one of the reasons he was drafted was he had the potential to become a starter down the road. Trevathan was the obvious one he’d end up replacing. Now it seems that vision may slowly become a reality.
