The Chicago Bears knew that with only five Draft picks, they would need to be active in the undrafted free agent market to fill the remaining spots on their roster with good young players. According to most experts, they seemed to do well. Most agree his best acquisition was Illinois defensive tackle Keith Randolph. He was the unsung hero of the Illini defensive front even though Jer’Zhan Newton received most of the attention. Unfortunately, he did not have a productive year on the stat sheet, which led to him going undrafted.
That didn’t mean Randolph couldn’t play. The Bears certainly felt that way. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made such an aggressive bid to get it. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, he was much stronger than initially reported.
The Bears signed Randolph Jr. to a standard three-year deal that contained $220,000 in total money guaranteed, according to Spotrac. That did it one of the highest-paid undrafted free agents in the entire league. The financial commitment increased Randolph Jr.’s chances of making the team.
The Bears showed consistent interest in Randolph Jr. throughout the pre-draft process. They met him for the first time at this year’s Senior Bowl, where he impressed during a productive week of practice and interviews. They then held a follow-up virtual meeting with Randolph Jr. to reiterate his interest in his services. The Poles finally kept the former Illini standout in the state by making him an aggressive offer.
While $225,000 may not seem like a lot of money, remember that the largest guarantee given last year was $255,000. So, it was clearly evident that the Bears wanted Randolph and were willing to pay to get him. They believe that he has much more to offer than his status would indicate.
The Chicago Bears know Randolph is capable of doing more.
He shined at times throughout his college career. After all, the guy had 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss in 2022. It’s not like he spent his entire time at Illinois not being productive. He just had a bad season last year. That has happened to many future NFL greats. Look what happened to Dan Marino during his senior year at Pitt. That’s why the Poles and coach Matt Eberflus always insist on looking at the entire college career, not just the last season. There are often extenuating circumstances that explain why players saw drops in their production. Maybe it’s an injury. Maybe it’s a change of scheme. There are several possibilities.
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In Randolph’s case, it may have been a change in scheme. In 2021 and 2022, during which he combined for 8.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss, his defensive coordinator was Ryan Walters. Unfortunately, Walters left in 2023 to become Purdue’s head coach. Aaron Henry and Terrance Jamison replaced him as co-defensive coordinators, changing the scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4. No wonder Randolph struggled. The Chicago Bears have every reason to feel like they may have a hidden gem on their hands. Randolph is back to the plan that helped him thrive in college. He also has a coaching staff tailor-made to develop him properly.
This could turn out to be pennies on the dollar if you become a good player.
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