soulman Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Chicago Bears re-sign offensive tackle Rashaad Coward ByMatt Eurich 6 hours ago https://247sports.com/nfl/chicago-bears/Article/Rashaad-Coward-Bears-re-sign-130906254/?utm_source=247Sports Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=190405_133808_Chicago Bears&utm_content=Link&liveconnect=C3-52-7D-DF-F0-AF-8E-1A-53-7F-74-41-9D-F1-31-5F190405_133808ChicagoBears The Chicago Bears have made a decision on exclusive rights free agent Rashaad Coward and will be bringing him back in 2019. The young offensive tackle entered the NFL as a nose tackle on the defensive side of the ball before making the transition to offensive tackle last offseason. The Bears liked Coward's progress enough from nose tackle to offensive tackle in one offseason to keep him on the 53-man roster throughout all of last year. Despite being on the 53-man roster, Coward was not active for a game during the 2018 season. Head coach Matt Nagy explained last offseason why the Bears made the decision to move him from the defensive side of the ball to the offensive side of the ball. "Rashaad is a guy who is in a unique position where some of our coaches, on both sides really, saw him with the ability to play offense," Nagy said in April 2018. "So where he was at on the depth chart on defense we said, 'you know what? Let's take a look and see what he can do on offense.' And what better time than now to get him with coach Harry [Hiestand] at the start here of Phase One into Phase 2 and OTAs and see what he can do." Chicago first had him listed as a guard on its roster last offseason and Nagy agreed that would be his best spot. The team opted to use him at right tackle and he got a lot of work at the position in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens last summer in the Hall of Fame Game. He finished that game by playing every snap on offense. It was quite the turnaround from the expectations that were placed on him entering the league in 2017. Coward went undrafted and landed with the Bears not long after the draft concluded during the 2017 offseason. He spent all of training camp with the organization but was later waived before the start of the year. After spending the majority of the season on Chicago's practice squad, he was promoted to the active roster in early December 2017. In his lone appearance he played ten snaps for Chicago along the defensive line. When Hiestand arrived in Chicago after coaching some of the top offensive line draft prospects in recent years at Notre Dame, he was told by then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio that Coward could be a good fit along the offensive line. “Vic Fangio pointed out when I first got here that we’ve got a young guy [Coward] who really has some good traits about him as a football player,” Hiestand said last offseason, via John Mullin of NBCSports.com. “He’s tough. He works his tail off. He’s learning on the job really well right now. Very positive growth.” Chicago is set at the starting tackle spots with Charles Leno and Bobby Massie for the time being, but Coward has a chance to work himself into a swing tackle role with the organization. Other tackles on the roster include Willie Beavers, Dejon Allen, Cornelius Lucas and Bradley Sowell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted April 5, 2019 Author Share Posted April 5, 2019 I like what I've seen from this kid so far. Let's hope under HH's tutelage he can keep ascending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmike90 Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 This is a good signing...could be a future RT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 29 minutes ago, Madmike90 said: This is a good signing...could be a future RT. Right side player who could slide in to possibly replace Long or Massie and a year or two and a good back up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugashane Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Damn happy to see this. Kid was raw but showed obvious athleticism in the limited view we got. We had Sowell catch a TD, now lets let Coward run one in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 4 hours ago, soulman said: Right side player who could slide in to possibly replace Long or Massie and a year or two and a good back up now. Do we know that he’s a good backup now though? I don’t recall him getting any reps against real defenders last preseason. That said, like the guy and his potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 9 hours ago, AZBearsFan said: Do we know that he’s a good backup now though? I don’t recall him getting any reps against real defenders last preseason. That said, like the guy and his potential. He played a fair amount in the preseason including the entire HOF Game but how are you gonna classify whose a "real defender" and whose not? They kept him on the 53 man roster but inactive just to keep him off waivers and I'm sure some of those he was up against also made 53 man rosters so HH must see something in him he likes a lot. How ready he is to play a regular season game we'll find out this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G08 Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 11 hours ago, AZBearsFan said: Do we know that he’s a good backup now though? I don’t recall him getting any reps against real defenders last preseason. That said, like the guy and his potential. He's got work to do but the talent is there. I kind of think he can play RG as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 12 hours ago, soulman said: He played a fair amount in the preseason including the entire HOF Game but how are you gonna classify whose a "real defender" and whose not? They kept him on the 53 man roster but inactive just to keep him off waivers and I'm sure some of those he was up against also made 53 man rosters so HH must see something in him he likes a lot. How ready he is to play a regular season game we'll find out this summer. Lazy typing by me. “Real defenders” meant non-starters. He never played against the 1s in any of the preseason games to my recollection. Like I said I like his upside but I also liked Fendi Onubon’s upside and he never approached it once he got in with the top talent. If all goes according to plan Coward will only be playing in August in 2019. Had we not retained Massie we’d probably be talking about RT as a massive hole too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WindyCity Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 2020 RG His preseason was incredible considering he played OL for 5 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 Since few teams play their starters more than a series or two until the 3rd preseason game he probably didn't face many starters but he may have faced some front line backups as well as those like him just trying to make a roster. I didn't watch every snap and I don't think he was up against any Von Millers but when he played he played well despite he lack of experience at OT. If Coward was ready to start Pace would not have extended Massie so that tells us he's not. But if we kept him on the 2018 roster for 16 games to me that's a good indication they see him as a potential starter somewhere down the road. Fendi Onobun never made our roster at all. I see Coward as another Big Cat Williams type prospect who was in his 4th season before starting at RT. So at this point in time all we know is Pace and HH think they may have a RT or RG of the future or at least they hope they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heinz D. Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 Nothing negative to this at all. Solid move. How good teams become great teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted April 7, 2019 Share Posted April 7, 2019 I can't remember a single rep of his. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 15 minutes ago, dll2000 said: I can't remember a single rep of his. There were none in the regular season but many during preseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted April 8, 2019 Share Posted April 8, 2019 This dude's going to win the Tanner Gentry award for imaginary excellence 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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