{"id":104488,"date":"2024-06-05T20:13:22","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:13:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=104488"},"modified":"2024-06-05T20:13:22","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T01:13:22","slug":"former-illinois-standout-competing-to-cement-spot-on-bears-defensive-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-illinois-standout-competing-to-cement-spot-on-bears-defensive-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Illinois standout competing to cement spot on Bears defensive line"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Akshat Jain<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Keith Randolph Jr. did not start playing football until his junior year of high school. Receiving no basketball scholarship offers coupled with a desire to play collegiate sports at the Division I level led him to the gridiron. Seven years later, he is now competing for the fourth and final spot on the Bears\u2019 defensive line.<\/p>\n

Randolph was one of nine undrafted free agents signed by the Bears this offseason. At the rookie minicamp May 10 and 11, the group was joined by 23 unsigned rookies, four unsigned veterans and two first-year Bears, all competing for a coveted spot on the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n

The former Illinois standout, who started 29 games at defensive tackle and racked up 13 tackles for loss and 4 \u00bd sacks in 2022 enroute to earning third-team All-Big Ten honors, signed a three-year, $220,000 fully guaranteed contract with the Bears as an undrafted free agent.<\/p>\n

Randolph told reporters May 11 that he appreciated the organization\u2019s investment in him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot. It made me feel wanted,\u201d Randolph said. \u201cFor them to come get me and give me a good amount of guaranteed money, it\u2019s a blessing and I am just thankful for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

While it is a steep climb for an undrafted free agent to earn themselves a roster spot \u2014 only 80 undrafted players made NFL Week 1 rosters in 2023 \u2014 the Bears have found an undrafted free agent worthy of a roster spot in each of the past two seasons (linebacker Jack Sanborn in 2022 and quarterback Tyson Bagent in 2023). Dane Brugler, NFL draft analyst at The Athletic, wrote that defensive tackle is a position offering opportunity on the Bears\u2019 depth chart.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe top three at defensive tackle are set \u2014 Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens,\u201d Brugler wrote May 9. \u201cBut Randolph can vie for the No. 4 spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said \u201cmovement and skill\u201d are the two most important traits he is focused on seeing from undrafted players during the camp.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to have a certain skillset to be able to play up here, and you need to have that to get your foot in the door,\u201d Eberflus told reporters Thursday, May 9. \u201cThen it is all about development, about work habits, about being able to play smart and play the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lining up against the No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, Randolph said the week had been a \u201csurreal experience.\u201d While he said he is blessed to be out on the practice field, his focus remains on competing hard at every rep.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can get better. That is really what I am focused on. Just trying to improve each and every day,\u201d Randolph said.<\/p>\n

Akshat Jain is a graduate journalism student at Medill. You can connect with Akshat on <\/em>LinkedIn<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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Seven years later, he is now competing for the fourth and final […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":968,"featured_media":104489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,5410],"tags":[1694],"class_list":["post-104488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-spring-2024","tag-chicago-bears"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer Illinois standout competing to cement spot on Bears defensive line - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/former-illinois-standout-competing-to-cement-spot-on-bears-defensive-line\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former Illinois standout competing to cement spot on Bears defensive line - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Akshat Jain Medill Reports Keith Randolph Jr. did not start playing football until his junior year of high school. 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