With new head coach Ben Johnson now in charge of the Chicago Bears alongside veteran general manager Ryan Poles, there are new expecations for the organization after spending an embarrassing amount of time as an NFC North basement-dweller.
Things need to change and quickly in order for this team to perform on the promise its roster obviously provides. Fortunately, there's a lot to feel good about.
All that said, one Bears rookie sadly won't play a down for the organization in a real game in Chicago.
Chicago Bears UDFA EDGE Xavier Carlton brings a lot of potential to the Bears DL.
— Just Another Year Chicago: Bears (@JAYChi_Bears) June 30, 2025
The 6'6, 270lb EDGE has the NFL ready size, along with a lot of tools.
He finished '24 with 47 TOT, 11 TFL, 9 sacks, & 1 PD for Cal.
Someone to look out for at camp 👀 pic.twitter.com/VBQp6d4bhw
Undrafted Bears Rookie Xavier Carlton Facing Unfortunate Reality in Preseason
Xavier Carlton, originally an undrafted rookie standout out of California-Berkeley, has an impressive underlying physical profile. He's 6-foot-6 and 273 pounds with standout collegiate production, but the depth chart doesn't favor his chances of breaking camp.
Just a cursory glance suggests he'll have to overcome multiple players. We're looking at a limited group for brevity of Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett, Austin Booker, Andrew Billings, rookie Shemar Turner, Dayo Odeyingbo, and Dominque Robinson. There were more players to name, but it's worth saving the extra details.
The point is that Carlton has no chance of making the team. That said, he could be an intriguing practice squad player with a lot of upside down the line. He had nine sacks during his final year as a Bear in college with nine combined in the previous two seasons, suggesting a promising progression in his work.
Poles did a great job of building the defense, particularly focusing on the trenches, which makes it more difficult for someone like Carlton to ultimately stick long-term. That he won't says nothing about his promise and says more about the Bears' work in building that area of the team, and it doesn't remain impossible that Carlton could make an impact in Chicago or elsewhere in 2025.
He was a solid signing and one that deserves praise. Carlton's lone preseason statistic was a pass deflected at the line. Johnson isn't overly impressed and neither should we be, though he has enough optimism based on his game that no one should give up on him yet.