Bears work out pair of CFL quarterbacks Kai Locksley, Jake Dolegala |
One of the fun things about the early stages of an NFL offseason is the constant roster shuffling you see going around. From tryouts to Future deals/contracts, teams don't hesitate to find value in potential talent when they have the chance. Chicago is no different, as they have been very active the past several weeks by not only working out players, but signing players to their practice squad or giving them future deals.
Their most recent workout not only featured a pair of players, but a pair of QBs, as that is one of the positions in question behind Justin Fields. However, these were different from your ordinary QBs with CFL QBs Kai Locksley and Jacob Dolegala.
Locksley has had more success north of the border after playing his college ball at UTEP. One of the better passers at the NJCAA for Iowa Western Community College, Locksley elected to transfer to UTEP, where he saw plenty of action. In two years with the Miners, Locksley started 19 games and threw for around 2400 yards. His nine touchdowns and 14 interceptions were a concern, but he is similar to Justin Fields regarding passing success. What Locksley lacked in his passing skills, he tried to make up for the ground as he totaled 875 yards and 11 scores over those two seasons. Not expecting to be drafted with those numbers, the 26-year-old refused to give up and was waiting on whatever opportunity was given to him. That opportunity came in 2021 when he landed on the Miami Dolphins practice squad and saw a ton of experience at camp. That was vital because Locksley transitioned from QB to WR before being let go ahead of the Regular season. Now with the Edmonton Elks, Locksley is still listed as a QB, but has continued to play WR which could be what intrigues Chicago to him. Sure, Locksley saw the field last season, but he wasn't in there as often as he would like to be, so the Bears are just bringing him. Despite rushing for just 117 yards on 48 attempts, Locksley made those attempts count, as he has seven rushing scores under his belt. He also has 17 receptions for 247 yards, but still no receiving TDs. It will be interesting to hear how his workout went and if the Bears kept him at WR or moved him back to QB. With Trevor Siemian still under contract for another season, finding a backup QB is a low priority right now. However, Ryan Poles knows he needs to fill his training camp roster somehow and is willing to take chances on guys like these two. If they find someone with similar traits to Fields, it may benefit them more than anyone realizes right now. Chicago is not going to stop here, and everyone knows that.
I understand the CFL is an entirely different style of game than the NFL, but if you can throw the ball consistently at that level, a lot of teams will look at you. Dolegala was the leader of the Saskatchewan Rough Riders after playing football at Central Connecticut in college. Upon his arrival, Dolegala put up great numbers where he threw for 8,129 yards and 48 touchdowns in four seasons. After going undrafted in the 2019 NFL draft, Dolegala bounced around several NFL practice squads, which include Cincinnati, Green Bay, New England, and Miami. Eventually, he moved to Canada, where the Roughriders gave him an opportunity. Dolegala wasn't the starter but finally had his chance when Cody Fajardo was out with a knee injury. Dolegala completed 16-35 passes for 154 yards and a score in that game. A small sample size, but the Bears must see something on film to bring him in for a workout. Kai Locksley
Jacob Dolegala
