NEWSLETTER
The latest move in the always-moving roster shuffle is one that points to the constant need for depth and special teams help:
#Bears roster move:
We have signed linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis to a one-year contract. (AP Photo) pic.twitter.com/nl169RMzIr— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) May 8, 2019
Kevin Pierre-Louis signed a one-year contract with the Bears in a move that will fly under-the-radar, but could ultimately impact the special teams unit come September.
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy and new Inside Linebackers Coach Mark DeLeone had a good first-hand look at what Pierre-Louis could offer in that phase of the game. Nagy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, while DeLeone was a defensive assistant when Pierre-Louis played 14 games with the team in 2017. That season, only four Chiefs played more special teams snaps than the 249 Pierre-Louis was in on during his 14-game stint in Kansas City. Last season, Pierre-Louis played 182 special teams snaps (and just 35 defensive plays) in his nine-game run with the New York Jets, so chances are he’ll have to carve out a niche as a special teams ace in order to crack the Bears’ season-opening 53-man roster. Even then, he will have to hold off Joel Iyiegbuniwe, Nick Kwiatkoski, Josh Woods, and possibly others.
Pierre-Louis has 57 games (but just one start) under his belt since entering the league in 2014. The Seattle Seahawks drafted Pierre-Louis in the fourth round (132nd overall) in the 2014 NFL Draft and spent three seasons with the team. Speed was his calling card back then, running the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.51 seconds at the 2014 NFL Combine. Channeling that burst could go a long way toward securing a spot on this roster.
