Bears News: From Undrafted to Unleashed: Jahdae Walker’s opportunity is here

Kamil Krzaczynski - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 4 hours ago

It's amazing when you think about the position the Bears are in, especially when you look at how injured they have been this season. Not only have they lost several starters on both sides of the ball, but with every passing week, another player hits the injured list, putting this team in a challenging position.

For the most part, the Bears have been able to get by despite the injuries, but whenever one player returns, another one goes down. At some point, you have to think the injuries are going to catch up to this team, and the Bears are hoping that doesn't happen on Saturday when they face off against the Packers for the second time in three weeks.

As if losing Kyler Gordon and some of their defensive stars wasn't already a tough situation to deal with, the Bears could be down two of their best pass catchers as Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are both listed as questionable for the game. Burden has been dealing with an ankle injury and appears more likely to play than Odunze, who has been dealing with a foot injury and may now be forced to miss an extended period of time.

Odunze has been one of the Bears' best weapons all season, pulling in six touchdowns and 661 yards through 12 games this season. His production has fallen off in recent games, but some attribute that to the foot injury he has been dealing with. Burden has been able to pick up the slack in his absence, but with both of them questionable to play on Sunday, Chicago is once again going to dive into their depth to see if they can overcome more injuries.

Olamide Zaccheus will most likely see an increase in touches on Saturday, but all eyes will be on undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker, who could be in line for his first real action of the season. The 23-year-old former Texas A&M star made a name for himself during the preseason, where he picked up 98 yards on eight catches and two scores.

That followed what was a solid final season at College Station, where Walker finished with 345 yards and two scores, bringing his career total to 935 yards and four scores. Production-wise, that isn't what you would consider good numbers, but at 6-3 and 206 pounds, Walker has all the physical tools you look for in an NFL receiver. Throw in his 4.43 speed, and if Walker gets an opportunity to play, you could see him make an immediate impact in the passing game.

Despite seeing just 61 snaps through six games (nearly all of them on Special teams), Walker is valuable enough to keep on this roster, which is why Ben Johnson has had him on the active roster in most weeks, even if he doesn't see the field. Walker also missed a pair of weeks due to a concussion that he sustained on a special-teams play, but is now back to normal and eager to get back into action.

Anytime you are forced to play an undrafted player with little to no experience on the offensive side, there are plenty of risks involved. Those risks are magnified when you consider how big a game this is, as Walker could be thrown into one of the toughest situations one can face. On the flip side, you also have the possibility of this being his coming-out game, where he could play his way into more offensive snaps.

From a sheer size and speed standpoint, Walker has everything you look for in an NFL wide receiver and can take the top off the defense. He is also someone who could thrive in the Red Zone, which is something they miss with Keenan Allen no longer on the roster. Whatever decision is made on Walker, the injuries are mounting at an unsustainable level, as the Bears need to get healthy to make a deep playoff run.