Chicago Bears news: Roy Robertson-Harris hoping position change helps team
Roy Robertson-Harris hopes a position change helps him contribute to a new winning Chicago Bears team.
Ryan Pace is either a genius or an unemployed general manager walking. Instead of going the route of getting known quantities to turn the Chicago Bears around, he has a number of questionable players. If they aren’t unknown players such as Division II players or undrafted rookies, they are known players coming off injuries. At this point, the Bears could go 10-6 or 0-16 depending on how well these players handle the season.
One of the players who could play an integral part of the team on defense is Roy Robertson-Harris. Robertson-Harris was 2016 undrafted rookie linebacker out of UTEP. He suffered a heat-related injury that kept him out the entire season last year. Normally, that signifies the end of his opportunity, but the Bears felt they had something in the 6-foot-7, 265-pound guy.
That something was a position change.
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The Bears want Robertson-Harris to try defensive end. Since he could do nothing but work out last year, he agreed. Now, he has an extra 20 pounds of muscle on his body, helping him handle the rigors of his new position.
Robertson-Harris is not familiar with the position since he played some defensive line in college.
"This isn’t anything I haven’t done before. It’s just going against stronger guys."
While some expected the Bears to draft a defensive lineman, they decided against that. Instead, they went with four offensive players and only one defensive player with their five picks. They signed Jaye Howard and John Jenkins through free agency, however. Still, Robertson-Harris has a shot (along with Jonathan Bullard) to be in the mix. He could provide rotational help.
Robertson-Harris feels more comfortable playing on the line so he gets his shot. He says he’s over the illness he had last year and wants to reward Pace for the faith he showed in him.
"I like to think (general manager) Ryan Pace has faith in me, and I definitely appreciate him keeping me around when I dealt with what I did last year. I am just trying to put in everything I can to prove him right."
Pace put a lot of faith into players like Robertson-Harris. Players who fall in his same category are Adam Shaheen, Victor Cruz, Markus Wheaton, and Eddie Jackson. If they pan out and help improve the team, then we can breathe well and enjoy the start of another Chicago legend’s story.