Running back Ian Wheeler was one of the stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” last summer when the Chicago Bears were featured. He came from a non-traditional football school, put his medical career on pause, and gave it his all to make the team. After what was a really good training camp and preseason, he had a season-ending knee injury.
After a year of rehab, Wheeler was back at Halas Hall for another shot to make the team. Wheeler had a solid training camp and preseason, where he made a strong case for a roster spot. Unfortunately, Wheeler was among the initial wave of roster cuts made by Chicago on Monday. General manager Ryan Poles made his love for Wheeler clear last year, but he couldn’t hang onto him this year.
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Will Wheeler get another chance with another team? Well, if his preseason performance is any indication, it shouldn’t take long. This is something that the Bears may regret one day.
They have D’Andre Swift as the top guy on the depth chart with Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai waiting in the wings. Are any of them elite? Chances are, no.
Wheeler could have been the spark that the offense needed, but they felt that his reps in preseason weren’t against good enough competition to warrant staying. He had a couple of touchdowns and made some nice plays, but it wasn’t what the coaches needed to see to keep him.
This is a hard decision to make. General managers in the NFL are not positions to envy this time of year. Everyone understands that you have to have depth at more important positions than third or fourth string running back. But it would have been nice to see Wheeler get an opportunity to play in the NFL when it counts.
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If Wheeler sticks with another team, they’ll be getting a very fast back with a great story. If his NFL career doesn’t go as planned, he will likely make a great doctor in the not-so-distant future. The Bears were better for having him around over the last two years.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears might regret cutting RB Ian Wheeler