Chicago Bears: Hometown free agents to consider
By Ryan Heckman
Linebacker L.J. Fort
Birthplace: Granite City, IL
The Bears have had the luxury of having a guy like Nick Kwiatkoski who has become a staple on special teams while also being good enough to start, if need be. With Kwiatkoski’s contract up after this coming season, he’ll likely sign with another team and start.
One more player with ties to Chicago, linebacker L.J. Fort, could definitely make an impact in that regard. He has become a solidified special teams standout for the Pittsburgh Steelers after having spent the last four seasons with the team.
Since Fort’s career began back in 2012, he has only made three starts in the NFL. Yet, he’s been valuable depth and a special teams contributor since entering the league. Fort has played not only with the Steelers, but also the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks and Cleveland Browns. But, his longest tenure has been the last four years in Pittsburgh.
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Last year, in 15 games (two starts), Fort compiled 48 tackles (a career-high), three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, one fumble recovery and a defensive touchdown.
Aside from Kwiatkoski, the Bears also have second-year pro Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who made an impact on special teams as well. Adding Fort to the mix would solidify their depth at the position and could even future-proof them going forward.