soulman Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Thursday, Aug 15, 2019 05:19 PM Sowell fully committed to position switch Larry Mayer Bears Senior Writer https://www.chicagobears.com/news/sowell-fully-committed-to-position-switch?mi_u=d1b78a29770a1ccd3fab355cadbf0368381e3abd&mi_favteam=CHICAGOBEARS Bradley Sowell is entering his third season with the Bears. But when he arrived at training camp in Bourbonnais last month, he felt like a stranger. Having shed 35 pounds during the offseason as part of his transition from offensive tackle to tight end, Sowell walked past some coaches and teammates without being recognized. Even his wife, Jessica, had trouble spotting him at practice—and not only because he no longer was wearing jersey No. 79. “When I got back, it was hilarious, people not recognizing me,” Sowell said. “My wife couldn’t find me and a bunch of other players’ wives were saying they had to look on the roster to see who No. 85 was. I can’t tell because I see myself every day, but looking from afar, people say I look totally different.” Related Links Sense of urgency nothing new to Raymond Bears simulate game in first-of-its kind practice Nagy talks Wednesday's night practice Last season Sowell was listed as a tackle but often lined up like a tight end as an eligible receiver. He even scored the only touchdown in a 15-6 win over the Los Angeles Rams on a 2-yard reception from Mitchell Trubisky. When the decision to switch him to tight end permanently was made during the offseason, Sowell enthusiastically accepted the challenge. He spent the five weeks players are off before training camp back home in Mississippi, working out like he was Rocky Balboa preparing to fight Apollo Creed. “I knew that I was going to be transitioning over, so I wanted to really impress [the Bears],” Sowell said. “I worked out twice a day and ran a lot. It was like 100 degrees down in Mississippi. I attacked it like I was in some kind of boot camp. I really got after it. I didn’t skip a day.” Sowell also dramatically altered his diet, which helped him drop from 310 to 275 pounds. “I changed that up a lot,” he said. “I went probably two-and-a-half months without eating anything that I thought was unhealthy for me. I ate as perfect as a human can eat and [the weight] came off pretty quickly once I did that, mixed with all the running and the heat down there.” Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich likes Sowell’s new look. “Brad has done a nice job of coming in in different shape and really has committed himself to that role,” Helfrich said earlier in training camp. “He has had a great attitude and has done everything we’ve asked him.” It’s one thing to look good; it’s another to perform well on the field—and Nagy has been impressed with what he’s seen from Sowell so far this summer. “Transitioning from tackle to tight end, Bradley has done a good job,” Nagy said the first week of August. “He’s probably doing a little bit better than what I imagined. “I was not concerned at all about him getting down to the weight that he wanted to get down to. I knew that he’d work hard. Any time Bradley Sowell says he didn’t play a round of golf in five weeks, he’s working hard. So I knew that and you can see it; he’s thinner. He kept his strength and the kid wants it more than anybody.” There’s never been a question about Sowell’s drive or work ethic. When he wants to accomplish something, the 30-year-old doesn’t let anything stop him. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and has appeared in 100 games with 24 starts over five seasons with the Colts (2012), Cardinals (2013-15), Seahawks (2016) and Bears. Sowell hasn’t played tight end since he was a freshman at the University of Mississippi. But he isn’t concerned that he’s making a risky career move because the Bears feel he’s better off at the new position and he’s fully committed to his new role. “There’s a lot of little stuff to work on, but I think one thing [coaches] appreciate about me is I show up every day and I give my absolute best effort,” Sowell said. “I think they notice that, ‘Hey, man, this guy is literally relentless out there. No matter what he does, he’s going to find a way to correct it.’ And I think that’s really been the story of my career. I’m a super average guy who just works extremely hard and tries to impress in that manner.” 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 If he makes team next off season Shaheen should live with him and do what he does. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Sounds Nagy likes Sowell more than Windy does. 🤷♂️ Also, the fact that he went to college as a TE in the SEC (though played very sparingly there) suggests that he probably can do some short yardage stuff in the passing game that a guy who was always an OL probably can’t. That’s not to say I expect seam routes or anything like that, but it means he probably has reasonably capable hands and at least a rookie level understanding of body positioning and can be used on check downs as needed and would draw a defender on PA passes in the red zone. As a #4 and blocking TE that has limited but actual game day value. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dll2000 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 8 minutes ago, AZBearsFan said: Sounds Nagy likes Sowell more than Windy does. 🤷♂️ Also, the fact that he went to college as a TE in the SEC (though played very sparingly there) suggests that he probably can do some short yardage stuff in the passing game that a guy who was always an OL probably can’t. That’s not to say I expect seam routes or anything like that, but it means he probably has reasonably capable hands and at least a rookie level understanding of body positioning and can be used on check downs as needed and would draw a defender on PA passes in the red zone. As a #4 and blocking TE that has limited but actual game day value. Whenever Nagy or Pace do an interview and Sowell gets mentioned they have all good things to say immediately. Why I think he will make the team. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZBearsFan Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 35 minutes ago, dll2000 said: Whenever Nagy or Pace do an interview and Sowell gets mentioned they have all good things to say immediately. Why I think he will make the team. Me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 1 hour ago, dll2000 said: If he makes team next off season Shaheen should live with him and do what he does. Well if the roster weights are correct Shaheen dropped some serious weight too. Adam Shaheen 87 TE 6-6 257, 24/ 3 Ashland Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 16, 2019 Author Share Posted August 16, 2019 1 hour ago, AZBearsFan said: Sounds Nagy likes Sowell more than Windy does. 🤷♂️ Also, the fact that he went to college as a TE in the SEC (though played very sparingly there) suggests that he probably can do some short yardage stuff in the passing game that a guy who was always an OL probably can’t. That’s not to say I expect seam routes or anything like that, but it means he probably has reasonably capable hands and at least a rookie level understanding of body positioning and can be used on check downs as needed and would draw a defender on PA passes in the red zone. As a #4 and blocking TE that has limited but actual game day value. I can see him as a 5-7 yard check down option. He showed some fairly good athleticism on that TD catch last year playing at 310lbs. No one is gonna expect him to be much more than that and a small OT handling blocking assignments especially helping keep Mitch clean when Massie or Leno may need some some help. Given how often we used Sims at times I'm betting Sowell will prove more useful than some expect. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topwop1 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 1 hour ago, soulman said: Well if the roster weights are correct Shaheen dropped some serious weight too. Adam Shaheen 87 TE 6-6 257, 24/ 3 Ashland Damn....Shaheen's roster pic looks like a mugshot after he just got booked for a DUI. I think that explains why this guy can never stay on the field...looks like he's been hitting the bottle too hard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLCbear Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Nice read ! reminds me alot of Israel Idonije, and how hard he worked offseasons in order to move positions .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 I like this move and hope it pans out. He should obviously be good on the blocking game, but knowing hes always a pass option is going to be one more wrinkle for defensesTo plan for. Let's make sure they show Santa's sleigh a lot on the jumbo Tron before games! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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