Rodney Adams was a really nice story this past month for the Chicago Bears. A guy who was drafted in Minnesota, failed to crack the roster, retired, un-retired, battled his way through training camp, and made the initial 53-man roster here. A really cool journey, if one that didn’t have a truly happy ending. However, the love affair with Adams overshadowed an even better story for the Bears that fans are missing.
That belongs to Caleb Johnson. This kid has an amazing journey of his own. Think about this. He didn’t get any offers from a major college coming out of high school. So he signed on with Houston Baptist, a university that didn’t even have a football program until 2013. It was three years old when Johnson arrived in 2016. A year after that, an injury knocked the linebacker out for the season.
Did that stop him? Nope.
Johnson excelled as a junior and then in 2019 was co-Defensive Player of the Year for his conference with 104 tackles, six sacks, and an interception. It’s fair to wonder if he might’ve been drafted had he been able to play a full season in 2020 rather than just four games due to COVID. Regardless, the linebacker achieved history when he became the first player from his school to sign an NFL contract.
A fun story, but nobody expected much from the undrafted rookie. That is until the preseason came around. In 107 defensive snaps, he managed 11 tackles, three stops for no gain or a loss, a QB pressure, and a pass breakup. That alone was impressive enough. Yet it was his performance on special teams that caught the Bears’ attention, making two tackles on the coverage units. According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, that is why he made the roster and may actually stay there.
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“The Bears wanted to cover themselves with Danny Trevathan going to injured reserve, and they were really excited about the emergence of rookie Caleb Johnson on special teams. They will need to make a move when Trevathan is deemed healthy; he will miss a minimum of three weeks. But Johnson, Josh Woods and Joel Iyiegbuniwe give special teams coordinator Chris Tabor three big bodies who can move well.”
Chicago Bears may actually have something here
GM Ryan Pace has a track record of finding good defensive talent in unexpected places. Bryce Callahan came out of Rice in 2015. Roy Robertson-Harris arrived from UTEP a year later. He and his scouts have a sharp eye for smaller school gems. Johnson might be their latest and perhaps most unexpected yet. Just think about it. A kid coming from a program that isn’t even a decade old yet and not only is the first to sign an NFL contract but also the first to make the team.
It wasn’t out of some sense of pity either. Johnson earned his way onto the roster. Think about the depth chart in front of him. Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan, Alec Ogletree, and Christian Jones. All guys with proven starting experience. Then there are Joel Iyiegbuniwe and Josh Woods who have tenure with this team and established relationships in the locker room. Despite all of that, the Chicago Bears still felt Johnson was worth keeping.
There were no handouts.
That speaks to how well the kid played. Sure he had his rookie moments, but the good far outweighed the bad. He certainly looks the part at 6’2, 220 lbs. He has instincts and plays with controlled aggression. There are questions about his ability in coverage, but enough talent is there to make one think he’s not just another depth guy.