Thread: Chicago Bears Bring In 5 Linebackers For Tryouts

Biggs says it's not a big deal.

LINK to the article

Chicago Bears Bring In 5 Linebackers For Tryouts

Sep 19 7:27a by Jordan Sargent

The Chicago Bears brought in five linebackers for workouts on Tuesday, fueling suspicion that the team is unsatisfied with its depth at that position. The five linebackers were Spencer Adkins, Rennie Curran, Jerry Franklin, Omar Gaither and Lawrence Wilson, most of whom were cut by their respective teams prior to this season. The team also worked out DBs Dante Hughes and Bryan McCann.


Though the Bears working out these players may seem like a signal that a move is imminent, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune says that it's in fact a pretty routine procedure.

First of all, a lot of teams do this and many more so than the Bears. They will bring players in - sometimes as many as two dozen - and get a look at them in a workout. The Patriots are notorious for bringing in large numbers of players for tryouts. It helps them update personnel information on players they have only seen in college or players they have only seen on tape with other teams.

It is, as Biggs elaborates, more about due diligence and being prepared for the future than anything.

The tryouts help the personnel department sharpen up emergency lists and allow it to evaluate young players that could be candidates for the practice squad.

Chicago expects to have one of the better defenses in the NFL, but injuries can strike teams at a moment's notice.

Biggs take:

Lot of questions why #Bears had 5 linebackers at Halas Hall for tryouts today. Let’s see if we can make sense of it
First of all, a lot of teams do this and many more so than the Bears. They will bring players in – sometimes as many as two dozen – and get a look at them in a workout. The Patriots are notorious for bringing in large numbers of players for tryouts. It helps them update personnel information on players they have only seen in college or players they have only seen on tape with other teams. In the case of a veteran player like LB Omar Gaither, the Bears can see what kind of range he has, how he is moving after being a final cut of the Texans last month.

This isn’t a case of the Bears bringing in a group of players because of Brian Urlacher’s knee. That isn’t what is going on here. If something happens with Urlacher, the solution isn’t going to come in the form of a street free agent. But the tryouts help the personnel department sharpen up emergency lists and allow it to evaluate young players that could be candidates for the practice squad.

Here are the tryout players from today again:

Linebackers – Spencer Adkins, Rennie Curran, Jerry Franklin, Omar Gaither, Lawrence Wilson.

DB’s – Dante Hughes, Bryan McCann.