It’s hardly the start to a career a rookie could envision.
Third-round draft pick Kiran Amegadjie has been placed on the non-football injury list to start training camp. The Bears also placed defensive lineman Jamree Kromah on the physically unable to perform list.
It’s a bit of a surprise for Amegadjie because Bears coach Matt Eberflus said at the end of the team’s offseason work that the rookie should be good to go at training camp.
“We project that,” Eberflus said. “Again, we’ll have to see how the rehab goes in the summer and we’ll project all our guys who missed some time to be back to start camp. But, again, we’ll see that as we go.”
Projections could be a bit off, or it could be a case were they want to bring Amegadjie along slowly at camp’s outset and test his injury more before deciding he’s ready to practice. It’s also possible he has complications from offseason rehab work but the Bears do not have to report such injuries beyond placing them on the injury report.
Amegadjie, a Chicago suburban product from Hinsdale Central, suffered partially torn quad muscle last October while playing for Yale. The rehab kept him from doing anything for scouts in the offseason except the bench press.
He then missed all of the Bears offseason program. GM Ryan Poles said after the draft that he didn’t anticipate Amegadjie coming in right away to challenge starter Braxton Jones at left tackle. The injury was one of the main reasons.
Kromah is a 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive lineman from James Madison who was undrafted and was hoping to play the edge or inside in pass rush situations.
The moves do free up roster spots should they want to add players.
