Bears CB Thomas Graham Jr. aiming for quick return to active roster
Bears cornerback Thomas Graham was one of the surprise cuts earlier this week. But unfortunately, Graham was battling a hamstring injury that held him out of training camp and the preseason, which hurt his chances of making the roster.
Chicago re-signed Graham to the practice squad after he cleared waivers. But Graham is aiming for a quick return to the active roster once he’s 100 percent.
“This isn’t a long term thing in my head, it’s a short term thing,” Graham said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Just get fully healthy and then let them see what they’ve already seen before.”
Graham saw limited action in his rookie season. He spent most of the year on the practice squad and finally got his chance on the active roster when the entire starting secondary was out with COVID.
He made the most of his first NFL start in Week 14 against the Vikings, where he totaled seven tackles and three pass breakups in his debut. Graham was immediately signed to the active roster the next day.
Graham certainly appeared to be in contention for a starting job this offseason, and he saw time with the first-team defense in the slot during the spring.
“I was running with the 1s all OTAs, being the 1 nickel,” he said. “They gave me a shot after a hard last year.”
Where things currently stand, rookie Kyler Gordon is expected to get plenty of looks at nickel cornerback, but he has experience playing both in the slot and outside. Graham has experience playing both positions, as well. And the hope is he can play his way into a contributing role moving forward.
“Just hope once I show them that I’m healthy, they kinda see what they’ve already seen before,” Graham said, “and go back to the position I was already at.”
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