Getty Offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele just threw a cryptic tweet out into the Twittersphere.
According to the NFL’s September 1 waiver wire, the Chicago Bears brought veteran offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele in for a visit.
A day later, on September 2, the 33-year-old free agent decided to throw a cryptic tweet out into the Twittersphere:
While the above tweet isn’t a sign or confirmation he’s signing with Chicago, Bears Nation sure took notice of it.
Kelechi Osemele 👀
A nine-year veteran, Osemele didn’t play at all in 2021 after tearing tendons in both of his knees Week 5 while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020. The 33-year-old guard is looking to get back on the field again, and he has been sharing videos of himself working out to show what kind of shape he’s in.
“Putting in the work. Every single day. One day at a time,” Osemele captioned along with the following clip he shared in late July:
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Osemele Has Multiple Connections in Chicago
The veteran O-Lineman has a few key connections in Chicago that made his visit a bit more noteworthy.
Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham was a scout with the Baltimore Ravens when Osemele was drafted in 2012, and Bears first-year general manager Ryan Poles was assistant director of player personnel for Kansas City in 2020 when Osemele was with the Chiefs.
One of Poles’ mentors, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, spoke highly of Osemele during their lone year together in 2020.
“He plays aggressive and you have to love that,” Reid said about Osemele in 2020, via USA Today, adding:
“I think his thing that’s followed him throughout his career has been, you play against him, you better strap it on because he’s going to bring it to you every down and it’s going to be aggressive and he’s going to do it to the whistle and that whole thing. So, I appreciate that. I think you’ve got to have that upfront and it’s a good tempo setter.”
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Osemele to Chicago?
As former Bears scout Greg Gabriel noted on Twitter, no one knows how Osemele’s workout went. The Bears could just be doing their due diligence.
Many have the Bears signing Osemele. They may, they may not. None of us know how the workout went. Fact is, clubs bring in players every week as part of their due diligence in creating a short list of players in case of injury. There is a history w/Poles
But Osemele also “liked” several interesting Bears-centered tweets, including this one with GM Poles:
And this one, featuring Bears quarterback Justin Fields:
To be fair, he also clicked “like” on tweets about him re-joining the Raiders, who he played with from 2016 to 2018, making the Pro Bowl during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Osemele has started 101 games over his career, but he has played in just eight since the beginning of the 2019 season. If he’s ready to make a comeback and does sign with Chicago, he’ll likely start out on the practice squad first. That way, he could be elevated to the active roster gradually, where he could be a solid mentor to young players like Alex Leatherwood and Teven Jenkins.
We’ll know soon enough if his Twitter activity means anything or if it was just him having fun, but he hasn’t been reported to have worked out for any other teams. Regardless, he’s looking to be in decent shape, and it’ll be interesting to see if he catches on anywhere.
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