One of the stranger signings the Chicago Bears made these past few months took place back in June when they inked a rookie minicamp tryout named Tyrone Wheatley Jr. This kid is a fascinating story. He was a tight end in college, first at Michigan and then Stony Brook. During that time he made exactly 12 catches in four seasons. One would think there is no way he’d find his way to the NFL.
However, a few things were on his side. A big one was genetics. Wheatley is the son of Tyrone Wheatley Sr., a former running back who starred at Michigan and ended up playing 10 years in the NFL. That included a 1,000-yard season in 2000 and helping the Oakland Raiders reach the Super Bowl in 2002. So it’s a safe bet his son probably has a strong foundation of athletic talent in his blood.
The trick was finding out where it fits best.
This is where the second stroke of good fortune came in. The arrival of The Spring League, a fan-supported developmental football league established in 2017. It was created expressly for the purpose of aspiring players to showcase their skills for the NFL. Wheatley aimed to take full advantage of that and joined the league for its 2020 season. Except he wouldn’t do it as a tight end. Instead, he’d make the switch to offensive tackle. An intriguing move since there was always evidence in college he could block.
Michigan TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. takes on two blockers to help spring Chris Evan's 50 yard TD run #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/8YHIeb5axE
— Michigan Sports News (@SportsGuyMI) September 24, 2017
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That's former Wolverine Tyrone Wheatley Jr playing RT for the Blues of The Spring League on @FS1 rn pic.twitter.com/rb36Y7eeji
— Due# (@JDue51) May 19, 2021
It seems he made a strong enough impression to earn a tryout opportunity with the Bears. That soon led to a contract offer. After that though? His name was never mentioned again. Oh well. Too bad. It wouldn’t be the first time a tryout guy came in and didn’t do much. Details soon emerged via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Wheatley had contracted some sort of nasty illness that knocked him out for weeks, forcing the team to waive him during final cuts.
#Bears have informed OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr. he will be placed on waivers. He's been ill for the last couple weeks. Worth wondering if he's a lineman the team would like to try to continue to develop.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 31, 2021
But this Chicago Bears story wasn’t over yet
Four days later, it was revealed that the Bears had signed Wheatley to their practice squad. An unusual decision given how little he actually played during training camp. One would think the team could’ve grabbed one of several names released by other teams who actually played in the preseason and looked intriguing. Nope. Chicago decided to stick with him instead.
#Bears roster move:
We have signed OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to the practice squad.— Bears Communications (@BearsPR) September 4, 2021
It’s clear offensive line coach Juan Castillo sees something in him. Something that can be nurtured and developed. This wouldn’t be the first time a tight end has successfully made the switch to offensive tackle. Former All-Pro Joe Staley did it at Central Michigan. New Chicago Bears starter Jason Peters did it when he arrived in the NFL as an undrafted free agent. Now he is destined for the Hall of Fame.
What Wheatley is doing isn’t unprecedented.
His journey to the NFL by itself has been utterly fascinating. Just imagine if he overcomes a sickness-ridden camp to make the practice squad, improves, and cracks the main roster at some point in the future. Maybe even becomes a starter down the line. This is one of the reasons football is so great. There is no predicting it regardless of how hard you try.