Kiran Amegadjie: Chicago Bears rookie had a rough first start

MINNEAPOLIS — The trouble for Chicago Bears rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie started early Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium, and it came in the form of Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

On third-and-9 midway through the first quarter, Greenard flew by the left side of Amegadjie, who barely got a finger on the fifth-year NFL veteran. Greenard crashed into the back of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, and the football popped from Williams’ hand while Amegadjie lay on his stomach beside Williams.

The Vikings recovered the fumble and scored their first touchdown of a 30-12 win five plays later.

Amegadjie found out Sunday he would be making his first career start in place of left tackle Braxton Jones, who self-reported concussion symptoms. The sack-fumble was part of a rough night for the 2024 third-round draft pick out of Yale.

Amegadjie was flagged four times, with three of the penalties accepted. He had two holding penalties, one in the red zone that played a part in the Bears settling for a field goal in the third quarter.

“I played with bad technique,” Amegadjie said. “I played outside myself. I worked hard to be ready for this game the whole week. Didn’t know I was going to be the starter the whole week, but I prepared like it. I just didn’t play within myself when it mattered most.”

Williams, who said after the game he had “a couple bruises and contusions,” took only two sacks and three quarterback hits Monday as his season sack total reached a league-high 58. But beyond that, he was under frequent pressure. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Greenard totaled a team-high seven pressures against Williams, with five coming against Amegadjie.

Amegadjie said he wasn’t on time with the snap count, particularly in the first half, and was late off the ball. The rookie didn’t step into the easiest situation against a complicated Vikings defense, but he didn’t use that as an excuse.

“I was prepared,” he said. “I was locked in on the game plan. There was nothing that confused me, or no looks where I didn’t know what I was doing. I’ve just got to play better.”

Bears general manager Ryan Poles said before this season that he felt good about his team’s offensive line depth. But Amegadjie’s struggles raised the question of why the Bears needed to push a rookie into the starting role if he wasn’t ready.

Amegadjie had logged 58 offensive snaps before Monday, according to Pro Football Reference. He missed much of his 2023 season at Yale after surgery to repair his quadriceps and then missed the first month of his first NFL training camp while recovering. He then missed time in November with a calf injury.

But the Bears had seen fourth-year tackle Larry Borom struggle badly enough in two starts that they made him a healthy scratch against the San Francisco 49ers last week, and they left Borom and veteran Jake Curhan on the bench Monday.

Another tackle option, Matt Pryor, has stayed entrenched at right guard because the Bears don’t have better options after Nate Davis was cut and Ryan Bates went out with a concussion.

More Top Picks Best Electric Chainsaws For Homeowner

Interim coach Thomas Brown said Amegadjie had been rotating behind Jones in practice the last few weeks and the Bears wanted the opportunity to work him in at left tackle. Brown said he’s confident in Amegadjie’s ability and added he could have done more to help the rookie.

“If we had to make some adjustments late in the game, it’s myself on the call sheet making some notes about max protection and those types of things,” Brown said. “He’s a tough dude. Going to be a really good player. Still a good player for us right now. He’ll get better. We’ll all get better. I’ll get better.”

Amegadjie wasn’t the only young offensive lineman in the spotlight for the wrong reasons Monday. Third-year guard/center Doug Kramer made a key mistake on the same third-quarter red-zone trip as Amegadjie’s second holding penalty.

Running back D’Andre Swift looked like he had the Bears’ first touchdown when he plunged across the goal line from the 1 in the third quarter. But officials called an illegal-substitution penalty on Kramer, who was playing fullback on the play, and that wiped out the touchdown.

Kramer said he forgot to report in as an eligible receiver, a mistake he didn’t realize until he saw the flag.

“It’s an unacceptable mistake,” Kramer said. “Obviously I apologize to all my teammates, everyone on the offense. Things like that can’t happen. And, yeah, it’s 100% my error.”

Brown also accepted responsibility, saying he should have called timeout before the snap so the Bears could get back in the huddle and keep the same play call.

The penalty set the Bears back to first-and-goal at the 6, and Swift gained 5 yards on the next play. But Amegadjie was called for holding on the next snap, and Williams threw back-to-back incomplete passes after that.

The Bears settled for Cairo Santos’ 29-yard field goal.

Amegadjie also was flagged for a false start near the end of the Bears’ next drive, when they settled for a 39-yard field goal.

The young linemen’s mistakes were far from the Bears’ only problems Monday. And they’re just the latest in a long list of high-profile mishaps that have contributed to the Bears’ eight-game skid.

“I had a later start than everybody, but I was drafted where I was drafted for a reason. I’m here for a reason,” Amegadjie said. “I’ve just got to play better when it’s needed.”

More Top Picks Best Educational Tablets For Kids