Not to be lost in the madness of rumor season picking up is the fact that the Chicago Bears still have two games to play. And so long as there are opponents are on the schedule, the Bears are in the right to be constantly tweaking, adding, and combing through the roster.
With that being said, they had an interesting name pop up as a tryout candidate:
#Bears brought in CB Dee Alford for a tryout. He was an all-star for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL this past season.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) December 28, 2021
The Tribune’s Brad Biggs reports cornerback Dee Alford was in town for a tryout. Because there isn’t a team thaat couldn’t use more cornerback help. And when it comes to the Bears, few teams have seen their secondary decimated by injuries and trips to the COVID IR like Chicago’s football team.
Alford, whose full first name is DeAundre, is a 24-year old defensive back who was an All-Star for the 2021 Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers. After sitting out in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alford showed out in Winnipeg. He won a starting cornerback gig coming out of camp, then came up with 4 interceptions, a forced fumble, a defensive score, and 48 tackles in 14 games. How that translates to the NFL level is unknown because we’re looking at two different styles of professional football. But there is nothing wrong with checking in on a warm body who measures in at 5-11, 175 pounds who has recent good tape.
Whether the Bears sign Alford onto the practice squad (or even active roster) is up-in-the-air. However, that he was in for a tryout is a bit interesting. Keep in mind how this tends to be the time of year when teams start rounding up players for stash squads. Teams will sign players to place on practice squads as a first step before handing over reserve/future contracts. And Alford seems like the type of player who fits that mold. Alford is the type of player who could provide some depth for minicamp, training camp, and possibly into the preseason. At the end of the day, the NFL roster churn never stops. So, with that in mind, we’ll still keep an eye on that while we navigate everything else happening in the Bears’ world.