Kiran Amegadjie Time? Bears Just Left The Door Wide Open

One thing about the NFL is that it doesn’t care about your plans. The Chicago Bears came into 2024 aiming to bring Kiran Amegadjie along slowly. The big tackle from Yale has boatloads of talent—he’s big, long, powerful, and athletic. The problem is that he suffered a quad injury that has kept him sidelined for almost a year. He finally started practicing a few weeks ago and was just cleared for full pads. GM Ryan Poles had expected to let him sit and learn for at least the first half of the season before considering the idea of getting him on the field.

Once again, the NFL may have different plans in mind.

Word dropped on Wednesday that Bears right tackle Darnell Wright is dealing with a back problem. He didn’t practice, leaving his status for Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams in question. This leaves the coaches with two courses of action. Either they move veteran Matt Pryor to right tackle, where he has some experience, and re-insert Nate Davis. Or they could keep Pryor at guard and roll the dice on Amegadjie. Matt Eberflus didn’t dismiss the idea when asked.

“He is one of our options. And he’s looked good. He’s continuing to improve.”

Pryor’s own comments added to the intrigue. Though he has experience at tackle, he has stayed at guard. No changes have occurred.

When asked if he's been told where he's starting vs. Rams, Bears OL Matt Pryor said the plan right now is to stay at guard, where he played all but one snap vs. Indy.

He's had experience playing at one spot during the week and being switched last minute, so in the event Darnell…

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 25, 2024

Kiran Amegadjie needs to show he can handle NFL speed.

That is his biggest concern at the moment. Being a rookie is one thing. Plenty of rookies have found immediate success in the NFL. The more significant issue is the jump in competition. Amegadjie didn’t exactly face high-end pass rushers in the Ivy League. Guys are bigger, stronger, and faster at this level. He first needs to prove he can handle it in practice before the Bears give the green light to put him in games. Going against guys like Montez Sweat and Darrell Taylor is a good test to see where he is at.

Eberflus and the coaches seem encouraged by his progress. Kiran Amegadjie himself has expressed confidence that he is learning and can play at this level. If there were a time to consider debuting him, at home would be preferable. He wouldn’t have to worry about crowd noise, and the Soldier Field is natural grass, meaning pass rushers will be a bit slower than on turf. Will they do it? As of right now, it’s unlikely. They seem hopeful Wright can recover enough to play. If not, opting for the Pryor/Davis option is less of a gamble.