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It looks like Ledarius Mack has landed on the Chicago Bears practice squad after all, if the latest report is correct. According to Nate Bouda of NFL Trade Rumors, the Bears have released defensive end Abdullah Anderson and signed Mack to take his place.
Looks like Ledarius Mack is back with the #Bears on their practice squad, according to @nfltrade_rumors.
I was a bit surprised he didn’t make the practice squad initially. Seems like his absence didn’t last too long.
When the Bears originally narrowed down their 53-man roster, many thought Mack, the younger brother of All-Pro linebacker Khalil, would make the practice squad. When he wasn’t on the 16-player list, a lot of Bears fans were more than a tad disappointed they wouldn’t get a chance to see Mack’s little brother potentially develop in Chicago.
Now, it looks like there’s a chance they’ll get to see it, after all. Sure, he’s only on the practice squad, but the Bears have absolutely groomed players to bring up the ranks before, and what better player to do that with than Khalil Mack’s younger brother?
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Will Having His Brother Around Boost Khalil’s Mood?
Not to say Khalil Mack is in a bad mood all the time — quite the contrary actually; he seems like a rather jovial fellow. But wouldn’t it be a good thing for the All-Pro linebacker to have his little brother around during team workouts every day? It certainly can’t hurt his mood, particularly considering how close the Mack brothers are.
Khalil said the following about Ledarius just last month, prior to roster cuts: “He’s jumping out on film. Very explosive, very explosive. You can tell that he’s talented … all in all, what I’ve seen, man, I’m proud of him … He likes to make plays. And I can only think that’s got something to do with the bloodline. I’m not going to take any credit.”
The two bothers worked out together all spring and summer. “He’s been working me and working me and working me,” the younger Mack said in May. “He’s definitely pushing me past certain points.”
With Hard Work, Ledarius Mack Could Make Roster Some Day
If he did eventually make the roster, it’s likely he would only play on special teams, at least at first, akin to the path linebacker Josh Woods has taken. Woods spent the entire 2018 season on Chicago’s practice squad before the team moved him up to their roster in 2019, where he remains today in a special teams-centric role.
For his part, Ledarius isn’t worried about any comparisons to his big brother.
“I don’t think about comparisons or anything; I just think about taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented to me,” Ledarius said this spring, adding: “I’m real versatile with my game; I could be a finesse guy, I can be a hard-nosed guy, doesn’t really matter. Depends on the down and distance, honestly.”
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