ESPN is ready for the Bears to quit on a disappointing third-round pick — why it makes sense but also doesn’t at the same time
Kiran Amegadjie hasn’t had the start to his NFL career most people expected given his draft status.
As soon as head coach Ben Johnson arrived to the Chicago Bears, the first order of business was upgrading the offensive line to further protect quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears made quick work accomplishing that goal by bringing in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson while also drafting Ozzy Trapilo and Luke Newman. Thuney went on to become the NFL’s first-ever Protector of the Year and a first-team All Pro, Dalman was named to the Pro Bowl, and Jackson was a solid starter for all 17 games. And the two rookies showed real promise as well.
The only issue going into 2026 remains the same issue the team had going into 2025, what’s the plan at left tackle? The Bears only have two options currently on the roster in contention for the starting job to open the season in Theo Benedet and Kiran Amegadjie, however, ESPN is still calling for Chicago to part ways with Amegadjie this offseason.
ESPN believes Kiran Amegadjie needs a change of scenery going into his third NFL season
Since drafting Amegadjie in the third-round (75th overall), the selection has continued to sour and adds to list of disappointing third-round selections under general manager Ryan Poles’ watch. Even when the selection was made, many raised eyebrows about the pick.
Amegadjie was seen as a developmental player that didn’t face much NFL talent after playing at Yale. He was also coming off a torn quad that forced him to miss nearly the entirety of the offseason ahead of his rookie season. And then there’s the golf course story involving former head coach Matt Eberflus, who first met Amegadjie at a local golf club that Eberflus and Amegadjie’s dad played at.
Yet, the Bears still saw the raw physical traits and Amegadjie’s ability to play multiple positions. It was a risk worth taking to see what he could become. Now two years into his career, Amegadjie has played a total of six games with one start and doesn’t have a clear path to any real role in 2026.
“It’s a shame to get rid of a player who grew up near the Windy City, but it’s pretty clear that Amegadjie isn’t in the Bears’ plans going forward,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote. “The 2024 third-round pick likely would have been cut in last season’s training camp if not for his Day 2 draft upside. His struggles blocking in space led the Bears to start working him at guard instead of tackle. He could use a fresh start with a new organization for whom he could play guard from Day 1 and hopefully fulfill his collegiate potential as a run blocker.”
It’s hard not to agree with Schatz’s stance here. Amegadjie is not in the long-term plans for this team anymore outside of potentially competing for the left tackle job, but it’s hard to see him actually contending for the job after the team opted to move him to guard instead. Even still, the Bears decided to roll with Newman and Jordan McFadden as the immediate backups.
A main reason why is because of Amegadjie’s elbow injury that forced him on the injured reserve and he was never activated from the IR despite being placed on the list in September. His days appear to be numbered and if the Bears don’t cut him now, they likely will by the time roster cuts happen in the early fall.
Cutting him now would save the Bears just over $1 million in cap space for 2026 with $560,662 in dead cap, and it would give him the opportunity to go ahead and hit the market to get the change of scenery he desperately needs. But, the best option is trying him out at left tackle again this offseason and continue working on his development. If it doesn’t work out, moving on is an obvious path.
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