The Chicago Bears UDFA Primed to Pull Off a 53-Man Roster Upset at Training Camp

Undrafted rookies face an uphill climb to make 53-man rosters across the league, but one Chicago Bears UDFA might have a better chance than most to upset the apple cart.

That UDFA, according to Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport, is offensive lineman Caden Barnett, who Davenport believes is Chicago's UDFA with the best chance to make the cut.

Davenport points to Barnett's athleticism, bigger-than-normal UDFA deal and the Bears' shaky offensive line depth as reasons why the Wyoming product could stick on the roster following training camp.

"Like so many players in this column, Barnett is going to have earn a depth spot in Chicago on the practice field and in the preseason. But he has more than a little potential at a position where the Bears can use some youth," Davenport wrote.

The Bears gave Barnett $247,500 in guaranteed money, which is a large sum for a UDFA deal and that is a clear sign Chicago thinks highly of the rookie.

And it's not hard to see why. Barnett had an impressive college career and is a top-notch athlete, as evidenced by his 9.53 RAS (Relative Athletic Score).

The one thing Davenport didn't point out that is also important is Barnett's versatility, something that is crucial for him because players on the bubble need to show they offer a lot of value.

Barnett does just that with his experience playing at both guard and tackle in college. He played right tackle over his first three seasons at Wyoming before moving to guard in 2025.

The 6-foot-3, 316-pounder, who some experts believed could get drafted, is a better run-blocker than pass-protector, but Barnett did show improvement in the latter area last season by giving up six fewer sacks and two fewer pressures than he did in 2024.

When it comes to Chicago's situation along the offensive line, we could see the Bears keeping as many as 10 offensive linemen like they did last year.

Braxton Jones, Joe Thuney, Garrett Bradbury, Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright and Logan Jones are all locks, and Luke Newman and Theo Benedet have a great chance to be the next two.

That leaves two spots up for grabs and we would not be at all surprised to see Barnett take one of them.

Barnett will begin his quest for a 53-man roster upset when the Bears take the practice field for the first time in training camp next week.

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