WR Dane Sanzenbacher plays his way onto Bears roster
A whopping five undrafted rookies have made the Bears’ 53-man roster, for now.
Leading the way is Ohio State wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher, who caught 10 preseason passes for 157 yards, finishing second on the team in both categories.
He will be joined by H-back/tight end Kyle Adams (Purdue), defensive end Mario Addison (Troy), linebacker Dom DeCicco (Pittsburgh) and safety Winston Venable (Boise State).
Sanzenbacher set himself apart early in camp with his reliable hands, precise route running and the ability to learn all three of the Bears’ wide receiver positions. He seemed satisfied after Thursday night’s preseason finale.
“I think it was solid,” the 5-foot-11, 180-pounder said of his preseason and training camp. “Obviously I’ve yet to play a perfect game, so you can’t say that. But it was nice to get out there and be able to get the ball in your hands a little bit and we got a ton of opportunities, get a ton of stuff on film.”
Coach Lovie Smith noticed Sanzenbacher early on, and he continued to show up on a regular basis.
“He’s impressed us just about every day in some form,” Smith said. “He’s a good football player, and he’s been that way throughout camp.”
Eager to please:Coaches liked the versatility provided by Purdue tight end/H-back Kyle Adams, who also can play fullback and is expected to help on special teams.The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Adams isn#146;t exactly sure how he#146;ll be used, and he doesn#146;t care.#147;I know special teams are huge,#148; he said. #147;I know as an undrafted rookie, that#146;s a huge opportunity. I#146;ll do whatever they ask me. I#146;ll kick if they want me to, and I can#146;t kick. But if they want me to, I will, because this is just awesome. I don#146;t mind at all.#148;Safety first:Safety Winston Venable was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty Thursday night after a helmet-to-helmet hit, but that didn#146;t keep the undrafted rookie off the final roster. The son of former Major League Baseball player Max Venable said he initially wasn#146;t sure why he had been flagged, so he asked one of the officials.#147;I was just wondering who had made the call, and he let me know that three of them had made it and a couple people in the stands might have made the same call,#148; Venable said with a smile. #147;So he told me they were just trying to be protective of the players, and it kind of looked helmet to helmet and especially because I left my feet.#148;Numbers shortage:With sixth-round pick J.T. Thomas on injured reserve with a hip injury, the Bears are left with just five linebackers. Brian Iwuh and undrafted rookie Dom DeCicco are the only backups to the three starters, so the Bears could seek to add a veteran linebacker this week. ... The Bears kept five defensive ends, including Troy#146;s Mario Addison, who went undrafted despite putting up big sack numbers in college. He had 4 solo tackles Thursday night that included a pair for negative yardage.Bears 53-man roster (in alphabetical order)Quarterbacks (3): Jay Cutler, Nathan Enderle, Caleb HanieRunning backs (3): Marion Barber, Kahlil Bell, Matt ForteFullbacks (1): Will Ta#146;ufo#146;ouWide receivers (6): Earl Bennett, Devin Hester, Sam Hurd, Johnny Knox, Dane Sanzenbacher, Roy WilliamsTight ends (3): Kyle Adams, Kellen Davis, Matt SpaethOffensive linemen (8): Gabe Carimi, Roberto Garza, Lance Louis, Frank Omiyale, Chris Spencer, J#146;Marcus Webb, Chris Williams, Edwin WilliamsDefensive linemen (10): Anthony Adams, Mario Addison, Israel Idonije, Henry Melton, Amobi Okoye, Stephen Paea, Julius Peppers, Nick Reed, Matt Toeaina, Corey WoottonLinebackers (5): Lance Briggs, Dom DeCicco, Brian Iwuh, Nick Roach, Brian UrlacherCornerbacks (6): Zackary Bowman, Corey Graham, Tim Jennings, D.J. Moore, Joshua Moore, Charles TillmanSafeties (5): Chris Conte, Chris Harris, Craig Steltz, Winston Venable, Major WrightSpecialists (3): Robbie Gould, Patrick Mannelly, Adam PodleshFollow Bob#146;s Bears reports via Twitter @Bob LeGere and check out our Bear Essentials blog at dailyherald.com.FBN18062000Bears wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher is making quite an impression with the Bears. associated pressFBN