LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- One member of the Bears' five-person draft class won't be on the field this weekend at Halas Hall for rookie minicamp and won't be available for most of the offseason program.
Left tackle Kiran Amegadjie suffered a season-ending quad injury last fall at Yale and is still rehabbing his way back to full strength. The Bears expect him to be ready to go by the time training camp begins in late July.
"Kiran is not practicing today," head coach Matt Eberflus said Friday before the start of rookie minicamp. "So, he won't be available to practice pretty much all through offseason. We knew about this injury, this quad injury that he had at his college, and we want to get that process in terms of the whole rehab and everything so he's healthy for training camp, so that's where he's going to be."
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
CHICAGO BEARS
The Bears drafted Amegadjie with the No. 75 overall pick in April's 2024 NFL Draft.
General manager Ryan Poles said they do not expect the Hinsdale, Ill. native to compete for a starting role in Year 1. Still, the hope is that Amegadjie can provide valuable depth this fall while developing his body and technique to push Braxton Jones for the starting left tackle spot.
At 6-foot-5, 323 pounds, Amegadjie has all the traits the Bears covet in an offensive lineman. His combination of size, speed, and athleticism has them excited about his long-term potential, and they are confident he can make their offensive line room better in Year 1 as a depth piece.
"You love the tools that he has," Poles said of Amegadjie. "His pass pro is really good. Love his length, hand usage. And a big man that we believe is going to continue to get bigger and more explosive so it should really increase the competition on our offensive line and make everyone better.”