Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears new left tackle Kiran Amegadjie can apparently predict the future, or at least has the work ethic and talent to mold his dreams into reality.
That is precisely what the former Yale product did when he manifested his new job with the Bears a year ago during a chance meeting with head coach Matt Eberflus at a Chicagoland golf course.
Kiran Amegadjie, a Hinsdale native, grew up a Bears fan and met Matt Eberflus last year at the golf club his father belongs to. He said that he told Eberflus he would one day be sitting in his office as a Bears draft pick. Eberflus reminded him on that interaction when the team…
“Kiran Amegadjie, a Hinsdale native, grew up a Bears fan and met Matt Eberflus last year the golf club his father belongs to,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN reported on Friday, April 26. “He said that he told Eberflus he would one day be sitting in his office as a Bears draft pick. Eberflus reminded him [of] that interaction when the team called Amegadjie to inform him that he was being drafted tonight.”
Bears’ Draft Strategy Lined Up Perfectly to Land Kiran Amegadjie
GettyChicago Bears offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie.
Chicago ended up selecting Amegadjie with the No. 75 overall pick in the third round, which also happened to be the team’s third of what ended up five selections in this year’s draft.
He probably would not have landed with the Bears had the front office prioritized the offensive line in the first round instead of drafting wide receiver Rome Odunze 9th overall after picking quarterback Caleb Williams of USC in the top spot. But Odunze fell to No. 9, Chicago seized its opportunity and circled back to left tackle in the third round at the same time Amegdajie was hovering at the top of the Bears’ board.
General manager Ryan Poles said Friday that the former Yale offensive lineman has the potential to become the team’s starter at left tackle, though he added that it likely won’t happen during his rookie season.
“We don’t really wanna put a ceiling on him,” Poles said. “I see the progression is potentially getting himself into swing tackle setup. He can play guard, he played guard early in his career, too. So swing tackle, inside-outside, which is always helpful. We’ve struggled with flexibility in the past, so he has that ability. And then we’ll see where he ascends to. If that means competing to start this year or next year, that’s great.”
Chicago’s current starter at left tackle is 2022 fifth-round pick Braxton Jones, who stepped into that role as a rookie and has started all 28 games he has played across his two-year NFL career.
Bears Have Revamped Offensive Line Over Past 2 Years
GettyQuarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears.
The offensive line will presumably be a primary focus of Chicago’s front office moving forward after the investment of the No. 1 overall pick in Williams and the roster of talented skill-position players the team has built out around him.
Alongside Odunze are receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, both of whom came over via trades in the last two offseasons, respectively. The Bears also signed Pro Bowl running back D’Andre Swift to a contract during free agency and have tight end Cole Kmet under contract through the 2027 campaign.
Chicago drafted starting right tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick in 2023, while the previous leadership regime in Chicago selected starting left guard Teven Jenkins No. 39 overall in the second round of the 2022 draft.
The Bears signed starting right guard Nate Davis to a three-year deal worth $30 million total last offseason, before adding presumed starting center Coleman Shelton on a one-year contract worth $3 million this offseason. Chicago also sent the Buffalo Bills a fifth-round pick in return for Ryan Bates, who will add depth to the offensive line this season along with Amegadjie.
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