Getty Tyler Clark of the Georgia Bulldogs
The Chicago Bears have been bringing in potential depth pieces for their defensive line all season, with only former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Daniel McCullers sticking and getting playing time. The Bears just released defensive tackle Anthony Rush, only to see their NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers, snatch him up off waivers the next day. Now, Chicago is looking to find another big body to assist its d-line.
The Bears brought former Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman Tyler Clark in for a visit, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. It was the second time this season the team has had Clark in for a workout– the Bears also worked him out in late September, but never signed him. Bringing him in a second time is a good indication they saw some potential in him, and thus, he could end up on the team’s practice squad soon.
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Tyler Clark Stats: He Was Part of a Strong Run-Stopping Group at Georgia
Clark was a solid contributor on a Georgia unit that had the best run defense in college football last season, giving up the fewest points and rushing touchdowns in the FBS in 2019.
Clark played in 47 games for Georgia over his four seasons with the team. In that time, he accumulated 119 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. He had an especially strong senior year, where he had 2.5 sacks and a career-high eight tackles for loss in 11 games. His numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, but his experience does, as he played in all 13 games his freshman year with the Bulldogs, and he never missed significant time in any of his four collegiate seasons. He has no major red flags injury-wise, which is always a good thing.
He also played excellent ball in one of the biggest games of his career. He had a sack and two tackles for loss in the 2018 Rose Bowl, when the Bulldogs played Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners. He was initially signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent earlier this spring, but he failed to make the team’s roster.
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Bears Defensive Line Has Been Taking Hits Weekly
While Chicago is coming off its bye week, the Bears have been bitten pretty hard by the injury bug over the last month. The team lost key role-player Roy Robertson-Harris for the season, and now Akiem Hicks is dealing with a hamstring injury that has him “day to day” according to head coach Matt Nagy.
While the 6’4 300 lb. Clark likely won’t make the Bears 53-man roster, Chicago has already had to rummage through their practice squad and elevate multiple offensive linemen this season due to rampant injuries, and in the day and age of COVID, depth on the practice squad is key.
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