NEWSLETTER
Highly motivated undrafted free agents clawing their way through OTAs and mini-camps to make their team’s season-opening roster is one of the things that keeps me captivated during this part of the offseason. And in the case of a team like the Bears, the intrigue is heightened because of the number of young, untested players battling for potentially significant roles.
With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport recently shared which undrafted free agent will shock the world and make their respective NFL team’s Week 1 roster. For the Bears, Davenport pegs wide receiver Tanner Gentry to be the guy who takes training camp by storm and earns a roster spot.
We’ve discussed Gentry in this light before, as we attempted to visualize his future role after impressing coaches at rookie mini-camp. Gentry has worked his way from one of the undrafted free agents to keep an eye on to potentially the kind of player who could take advantage of increased time due to players at his position recovering from injuries. And after showing the ability to catch the deep ball at Wyoming, he could be the kind of player Mike Glennon – who we learned throws a pretty decent deep ball when given an opportunity – could have his eyes on when he’s on the field.
Of course, Gentry has to make the cut for any of this to play out in this way.
Taking a look at the Bears’ wide receiver depth chart, and you can see where Gentry will face challenges en route to making the final roster. But it’s not as if he won’t have his chances, especially if this group of receivers, which projects to be among the league’s worst, plays to its lowly expectations in camp and during the preseason. The Bears signed Kendall Wright, Victor Cruz, and Reuben Randle to one-year free agent contracts, while also retaining Deonte Thompson and Josh Bellamy on one-year deals. Cameron Meredith, Markus Wheaton, and Kevin White project to be locks, but there is uncertainty after that at the position. And that’s where Gentry’s best chances come into play.
However, Gentry isn’t the only undrafted free agent with his eyes on a roster spot. So let’s check out the rest of the field heading into mini-camp:
