Terron Armstead’s message puts even more pressure on a Bears recent third-round bust entering make-or-break training camp
Former Chicago Bears third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie is sitting firmly on the roster bubble going into training camp and the next few weeks could decide the rest of his career in the NFL.
Former five-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle Terron Armstead has been an invaluable resource for young offensive linemen in the NFL to work with since his retirement from the NFL and no team has taken advantage of that more than the Chicago Bears this offseason.
A big reason why is because of the connection the Bears have on the staff. Chicago’s offensive line coach Dan Roushar has a close relationship with Armstead after coaching him for multiple years with the New Orleans Saints. He’s not only an athlete Roushar trusts, Armstead’s also the staple of offensive tackle play in Roushar’s eyes.
That’s why he’s sent multiple of his young offensive linemen in Chicago to work with Armstead this offseason while away from the coaching staff including Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright, Jedrick Wills Jr., Theo Benedet, and Kiran Amegadjie.
Terron Armstead has high praise after working with Bears OL, but his message for Kiran Amegadjie is important
On Thursday, Armstead joined Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer on the Bears official podcast “Bears, etc.” and had high praise for Chicago’s five offensive tackles that came out to work with him. He admitted Chicago’s players have been very receptive to his training and showed the same physical traits they play with on the field. What Armstead said about Amegadjie, however, was more important.
Amegadjie, the team’s former third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, was quickly heading to a “bust” status going into his third NFL season. Through two years, he’s played just six games with one start after dealing with multiple injuries. Frankly, he’s already turned into a player most people have written off and forgotten about. Armstead took the time to remind those people the kind of player Amegadjie can be.
“Kiran can play. He’s been injured and dealing with those issues, [but] the kid’s got game,” Armstead said. “He’s strong, he’s tough, he’s smart, he’s physical, he’s learning the right things, he’s hungry for an opportunity. And, although he’s doing all of these things right right now, it don’t guarantee him nothing and he understands that too.”
A make-or-break training camp is coming up for Kiran Amegadjie
I was shocked the Bears decided to keep Amegadjie on the 53-man roster last season. Throughout camp, he never seemed to make any headway in the open left tackle battle against Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, and Benedet. The rise of Benedet in camp should have pushed him off the roster. But, the Bears still saw something in him, even if he was never used during the season.
The Bears drafted Amegadjie knowing he was going to be a developmental player that would take time to blossom. Armstead’s words offer an encouraging sign for the Bears that he’s starting to turn the corner, but he’ll have to showcase that in camp.
“Taking the training and then applying it to real time, that’s another adjustment,” Armstead explained. “But, you train the right things over and over and over and over, they become autonomous so you can revert to what you know the most, what you’ve repped the most. That’s my space. We rep the right things over and over so when it gets real, you go to that. You go to what you trained the most, what’s your new habits.”
That’ll be the challenge for Amegadjie is proving that his training has paid off. The other part of it is having a competitive mentality and not staying complacent in his role.
“They’re not looking to be backups, and that’s important to me,” Armstead added. “You can’t be in the NFL and see yourself as that, as a backup or as a swing. Because a team will see you like that, the league will see you like that, and you won’t be here long. You’re an injury away.”
That’s a major message for someone like Amegadjie to hear at a critical time because that clock is ticking louder than ever going into camp.