QB Ryan Willis Chicago Bears Ex-Virginia Tech QB Ryan Willis has been signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad.
With veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton on the COVID-19/reserve list, the Chicago Bears have added reinforcements, signing quarterback Ryan Willis to the practice squad on December 18, per the NFL’s waiver wire.
The Bears play the Minnesota Vikings Week 15 on Monday Night, and after nose tackle Eddie Goldman was activated, the Bears currently have 12 players and all three coordinators out after testing positive for COVID-19. It’s possible several of them could return in time for their December 20 contest at Soldier Field, but there are no guarantees.
In an additional roster move, the Bears also elevated linebacker Ledarius Mack, younger brother of Khalil, to the 53-man roster ahead of Monday night’s matchup.
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Ryan Willis: Background & Stats
The Bears had Willis in for a workout in late September, and he must have stuck around in the minds of the coaching staff, because they gave him a call again.
Willis began his collegiate playing career at Kansas in 2015. He played 16 games for the Jayhawks, completing 54.6% of his passes for 2,530 yards, 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He transferred to Virginia Tech for his junior and senior seasons, sitting out the 2017 season due to transfer rules. With the Hokies, Willis went 285-481 for 3,622 yards, 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His best season came in 2018 with Virginia Tech, when he threw for 2,716 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
He went undrafted in the 2020 draft, and he wound up in the developmental Spring League, where he played QB for The Linemen. He led the Spring League in passing yards (1,680) and touchdowns (13) and was named MVP of the entire league, as well as of the TSL Championship game, the Mega Bowl, which his team won.
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Practice Squad Members Matter More Than Ever Amidst COVID-19 Outbreak
With Dalton out, rookie starter Justin Fields and veteran third-stringer Nick Foles are the only two QBs on Chicago’s roster. Should illness, injury or a positive COVID test befall either Fields or Foles, it’s entirely possible Willis could see his number called.
“It’s different, there’s no doubt about it it’s different,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy said on December 16, in reference to playing football during a pandemic.
“But what we’ve got to do is — I talked to some of the guys this morning — you gotta understand that this is the world we live in right now. These are the rules we’ve got to play by, and everybody has to know that at any given moment you’ve got to be ready because you know it’s the next man up mentality — not just for players, but for coaches too is the way that I look at it. In these type of moments what you’ve got to do is try to really stay positive, you know, take care of your body, stay positive, stay together and realize that we’re not the only ones right now.”
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