How Tonges' offensive versatility helped him land on roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The fullback is back in Chicago, in a big way. When the Bears released their initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, it included not one, but two men who will be tasked with paving the way for David Montgomery and the other halfbacks. Khari Blasingame’s inclusion on the active roster was a foregone conclusion, since he’s clearly going to play a role not only in the team’s run blocking scheme, but in Luke Getsy’s passing attack too. Jake Tonges’ spot with the team was less certain, however.
Tonges signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Cal, and stuck with the team following rookie minicamp. Making it to OTAs was a big step, but it hardly guaranteed him a place with the team. To give you an idea, the Bears signed 19 UDFAs this year. Of those 19 players, only seven made it to training camp, and only three made it to the 53-man roster.
“It’s dope,” said Blasingame. “Jake’s a good football player, he made a lot of plays in camp and a few plays in the preseason. Versatile dude, deserves to be here.”
Versatility is probably the key for Tonges and his role with the Bears. The team has Tonges listed as a fullback, but he’s worked at tight end, too. Like Blasingame, Tonges has shown an aptitude for both run blocking and pass catching. Moving forward he could fill a role similar to J.P. Holtz’ from last season.
Blasingame noticed the hard work Tonges has put in to learn both fullback and tight end, and Matt Eberflus has been impressed with Tonges’ ability to play both positions well. He believes that positional versatility can be used to Getsy’s advantage.
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“That's a hard thing for a defensive coordinator to really, 'Hey does this guy play tight end? Does he play on the ball? Does he play Y? Does he move? Does he get back into the fullback position, and can he run the leads?'” Eberflus said. “That creates a whole other dynamic for the defensive coordinator. Is he gonna play 12, is he gonna play nickel, is he gonna play base, what's he gonna do? That to me is a good thing.”
Making the 53-man roster doesn’t guarantee that Tonges will still be a Chicago Bear come Week 1, but like initially making it from rookie minicamp to OTAs, it’s a big step. There will still be some roster churn as Ryan Poles makes waiver claims and signs other players who were cut today. But if Tonges can continue to show he’s capable of playing two positions for the team, he can come closer and closer to suiting up in the regular season.
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