{"id":271152,"date":"2025-08-08T08:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/271152\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T08:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T08:08:14","slug":"three-udfas-who-could-have-an-inside-track-to-a-53-man-roster-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/271152\/","title":{"rendered":"Three UDFAs Who Could Have An Inside Track To A 53-Man Roster Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL training camps are in full swing, with the first full weekend of preseason games right around the corner. The Chicago Bears<\/a> have been one of the more active teams in the league this offseason, and while the roster is never truly \u201cset,\u201d Chicago has a pretty good idea of what they are working with here in early August.<\/p>\n

Although we\u2019ve heard it repeatedly, 2025 feels like a year where the Bears\u2019 roster is at one of its strongest points in recent memory. Because of that, there aren\u2019t a lot of open jobs, at least on the surface. Injuries and camp surprises will always play their roles, which could explain why the team kept its undrafted class relatively small. Here are three key names to watch in August, and three others that could impress enough to stick on the roster or earn a practice squad spot.<\/p>\n

Heading into the draft, most fans expected safety to be one of the sneaky priorities for the Bears. Due to the board\u2019s fall, they had to bypass a position that doesn\u2019t have a full-time player under contract for 2026. The lack of certainty in the future and a lack of upside on the current roster led the Bears to take a pair of swings on two of the top undrafted names. Burns appeared in 39 games at LSU and was a reliable player in their secondary. Physically, he\u2019s impressive at 6\u20192, 207 pounds and an 8.22 RAS. He has the ability to play center field, but his lack of playmaking ability and physical nature might be better suited for an in-the-box role. General manager Ryan Poles noted in his post-draft interview with ESPN 1000 that both Burns and Tysheem Johnson must show value on special teams to earn a roster spot in 2025.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s got a shot: During Poles\u2019 post-draft radio interview with ESPN 1000, he acknowledged the team\u2019s uncertainty at safety next year and beyond. Kevin Byard is in the final year of his two-year contract and will turn 32 before the start of this season. Jaquan Brisker is a former second-round pick, but he has struggled with availability, including his second NFL concussion that cost him most of last season. Elijah Hicks, a former seventh-round pick, has improved each year since coming into the league but has yet to log an interception, despite playing over 800 NFL defensive snaps. Veteran Jonathan Owens is in the final year of his deal.<\/p>\n

Primary Competition: Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks<\/p>\n

Owens and Hicks provide experienced depth in a safety room with one starter who has had some injury issues (Brisker) and another, who, while durable (Byard), will be 32 in a couple of weeks. With an eye toward the future, the more expendable player would be Owens. Allen likes to keep at least 10 defensive backs on the roster, which means that four, maybe five, safeties should make the final roster. With Hicks showing some promise over the past two years, it\u2019s fair to assume that he\u2019ll be a primary backup in 2025, with an eye on getting him more playing time to assess if he can be a future full-time starter. That leaves Owens to hold back the UDFA.<\/p>\n

Richardson is a versatile player who has turned heads in the early part of training camp. Despite a stacked depth chart in front of him, it\u2019s easy to argue that with a strong preseason, the former TCU<\/a> product could have a real shot at one of the final roster spots. He can play all three spots at receiver and has some value as a punt returner. Of all the undrafted free agents on the roster, he might have the strongest shot heading into the preseason.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s got a shot: Despite a loaded depth chart, only the first four spots on the roster are \u201clocks\u201d. That, of course, is assuming they stay healthy. Devin Duvernay projects as WR5 due to his long speed and return ability, but it will still take a strong preseason showing for him to lock down a spot. That\u2019s where Richardson comes in. It\u2019s not guaranteed that the Bears will keep six at the position, which makes this projection a little more challenging. Right now, he\u2019s in a battle with Duvernay, Tyler Scott, and Miles Boykin for that final spot. However, Boykin\u2019s recent injury helps Richardson\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

Primary Competition: Tyler Scott<\/p>\n

Assuming the Bears opt to keep six receivers, that final spot will come down to a few select names. Scott is a speedster who has never really caught his breath since being taken in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. After being a \u201chealthy scratch\u201d more often than not in 2024, he\u2019s done little (that has been reported) to catch the eye of this new coaching staff. At worst, Richardson should become a priority \u201ckeep\u201d for the Bears once cutdowns are done and teams start building out their practice squads. For now, we\u2019ll just assume he and Scott are locked in a heated battle the next three games for that final spot on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

Once the Bears brought in Julian Ashby for a Top 30 visit, it became clear that they are at least considering an \u201cupgrade\u201d at long snapper. With the team moving on from long-time veteran Patrick Scales, bringing in competition for Scott Daly makes plenty of sense. Elkin was a four-year \u201cstarter\u201d at Iowa, including three seasons with current Bears punter Tory Taylor. In 2024, he was voted an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association. The Former high school quarterback will turn 23 this month.<\/p>\n

Why he\u2019s got a shot: I won\u2019t sit here and pretend I know how to evaluate long snappers. That\u2019s a job for former Chicago Bear great Patrick Mannelly. Here\u2019s what I do know: He\u2019s almost 9 years younger than Daly, was recognized as a second-team All-Big 10 long snapper, and has four years of experience at one of the schools known for special teams in college. He\u2019s slightly undersized at 6\u20191, 227 pounds, but he\u2019s still young, which means he can grow into the position. Long snapping is often undervalued, but finding a long-term answer at the position that could be there for the next 10-plus years has to be an attractive proposition for this coaching staff and front office.<\/p>\n

Primary Competition: Scott Daly<\/p>\n

Daly, the Downers Grove, Illinois native, is going into his fifth NFL season. He\u2019s been long-snapping since fifth grade, and he was so well-thought-of in high school that Notre Dame<\/a> signed him as a scholarship athlete in 2012. Despite four years in the league, his path has not been straightforward. He was cut in his rookie season and bounced around AAF and XFL<\/a> before finally getting a shot with the Detroit Lions<\/a> in 2021. At worst, the Bears know they have a more than serviceable long snapper with the veteran Daly. Still, like I noted above, pairing Taylor and Elkin together again for the next decade or so could be enough to take the risk of an unproven UDFA.<\/p>\n

Three other names to keep an eye on: S Tysheem Johnson (Oregon), DE Xavier Carlton (UCLA), and LB Power Echols (UNC)<\/p>\n

Of the 11 signed undrafted free agents, only a few (in my estimation) stand a real chance of making the roster. Outside of Burns, Richardson, and Elkin, three more players are to watch during training camp and the preseason. Johnson is the more rangy of the two undrafted safeties, but he\u2019s undersized. Carlton fits the Allen build for a defensive end and had a nice final season at Cal before declaring for the draft. Finally, Echols is someone who comes out of North Carolina with some credentials, but will be locked in a battle with limited spots on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

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