Every year, there are undrafted players who sneak up the roster and find their way onto the initial 53-man team. The Chicago Bears brought in 13 Undrafted Free Agents (UDFA) this offseason so they have a great shot at finding a player who can crack the roster. One interesting player to watch is guard Caden Barnett.
Do the Chicago Bears have a UDFA gem in Caden Barnett?
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report went through one UDFA option that every team should be looking into this offseason as a potential roster option. For the Bears, he chose the Wyoming guard.
"While Barnett certainly won't push Jonah Jackson or Darnell Wright out of a job in the foreseeable future, he'll have the chance to stick as a swing backup who provides depth behind the two right-side standouts."Kristopher Knox
This is a good choice.First, the guys who play tackle in college but are not quite physically capable of handling that role at the next level often make the best options at guard. They are usually better movers, and Barnett has that experience.
He also landed in a spot without too much competition. Yes, they have their two starters locked down with Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney. However, Jackson has a contract due soon, and Thuney is older.
Beyond that, the team has Luke Newman, who was a sixth-round pick last year, and they do not have many other legitimate options to start at guard. Logan Jones will make the roster, but will be the backup center, so they cannot use him as a swing player at guard. If they wanted to keep a second backup behind Newman, it would have to be Barnett, Kyle Hergel, or Jordan McFadden. The rookie UDFA has just as good a chance as any of those three to make the team.
One other player worth looking into is Kennesaw State running back Coleman Bennett. We saw what Ben Johnson was able to do with Kyle Monangai; now he is looking for Bennett to be his next late-round find.
Still, for now, Bennett is looking to beat out Roschon Johnson. Johnson has not shown much promise in his little sample size. This will be the last year of his rookie deal, and Ben Johnson does not have ties to him. So, if Bennett flashes anything, the Bears will be incentivized to keep him over Johnson.
Gabriel Plascencia and Beau Gardner have good chances to make the roster as well, but that is a kicker and long snappers, respectively. This is a smart time to look for specialists. As far as position players, look for Bennett and Barnett to make noise this offseason.
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