Former Vikings draft pick lands a deal with the Bears

Former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings has apparently signed a deal to play for the Chicago Bears during the upcoming 2019 season.

As a rookie with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings was not expected to see much of the field during the regular season. Coming out of Pittsburgh, Clemmings was viewed as a raw prospect who would need some time to fine-tune his skills before going up against the NFL’s plethora of talented pass rushers.

However, the young Vikings blocker was forced into action sooner than anticipated after the team lost starting right tackle Phil Loadholt to an Achilles tear during the preseason. Minnesota had no other choice but to replace Loadholt with Clemmings and the results were disastrous.

As a rookie, the former Pittsburgh tackle was no match for opposing defenders and his lack of blocking skills led to Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater running for his life in 2015 more often than not.

After that season, Clemmings spent another year with Minnesota before the team finally decided to let him go in 2017. Since his time with the Vikings, he has appeared in a few games for the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.

Now, Clemmings is somehow being given another shot to continue his career in the NFL. On Friday, the Chicago Bears announced that they have signed the former Minnesota offensive tackle.

The Bears apparently needed to add depth to their offensive line and for some reason, they think that Clemmings will provide that for them. If one of Chicago’s starting tackles gets injured in 2019, however, they will quickly learn that the former Vikings blocker isn’t going to be much help.

If Clemmings does end up spending some time on the field for the Bears next season, hopefully it comes during at least one of the team’s two matchups with Minnesota.