Undrafted RB Nall trying to make impact with Bears

For an undrafted rookie hoping to make an impression, RB Ryan Nall's 69-yard run against the Bengals in the Bears' second preseason game was a godsend.

But it wasn't just the length of the run that made coaches sit up and take notice of the 6-foot-2, 232-pound Oregon State product. It was the subtle maneuvers that set up the Bears' longest play of the preseason. From the Bears' 18-yard line, the play was designed to go up the middle, but there was no running room. So Nall cut sharply to the right, stiff-armed rookie linebacker Malik Jefferson just past the line of scrimmage and then sprinted down the sideline until S Brandon Wilson caught him at the Bengals' 13-yard line.

"We just looked at the tape, and they said, 'Good run; congratulations,'" Nall said of the feedback he received from coaches. "Obviously I would've loved to have scored, but they were impressed with my ability to make the cut at the line of scrimmage, make the stiff-arm on the 'backer and then get to the edge, to the open space, which was great. But the best feedback I got was hitting the hole and cutting it back and making a defender miss."

Nall ran a mediocre 4.58 40 at the Combine, which isn't bad for a player of his size, but that didn't help NFL teams decide definitively whether he was a running back, a fullback or an H-back. That perception of being a 'tweener probably had a lot to do with Nall not being drafted, although Oregon State's 1-11 record last year might have played a role as well.

Nall led the Beavers in rushing in each of his last two seasons and had 21 TDs on the ground, while also catching 49 passes for four more scores. But he never heard his name called over three days of draft selections.

"Coaches didn't know where they wanted to play me," he said. "I had a lot of versatility, and I think that might have been a factor in their reasoning: 'Is he a back, could he play H-back, could he play tight end, special teams?' So I knew going in there was a possibility of it not happening. I was just hoping someone would take a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way, but I think I landed in the right place with this coaching staff and this community right here. Chicago is where I think I need to be."

Even though Nall is the biggest running back on the roster, he still has an uphill battle as he tries to carve out a niche at a deep position. Jordan Howard is the Bears' unquestioned lead running back, and Tarik Cohen is the electric change-of-pace complement. Benny Cunningham is a versatile and reliable veteran, who is also a special-teams contributor, so it's possible that he, Nall, Taquan Mizzell and recent addition Knile Davis are competing for one spot. The Bears like Nall's versatility, which includes his ability as a pass catcher and a short-yardage runner, so his long run was an added bonus.

"He had a pretty solid run there," coach Matt Nagy said. "For as big as he is, to run down the sideline like he did and protect the football, that was good for him. Any time you have a big play like that, you catch the coaches' eyes. But we're always going to look for what else is he doing right and what's he doing wrong. He's going to get some opportunities here to see what he can do, and we'll move him around and do some different things with him."

Earning a roster spot could come down to Nall's performance on special teams as it often does for backups at most skill positions. He played in all four special-teams phases vs. the Bengals and that may have prevented him from getting those 13 extra yards that would have put him in the end zone.

"In years past, I might have outrun that one," he said. "But it was late in the game, (with all the) special teams running, no excuses, but yeah, I think people definitely underestimate my speed."

With starters not expected to play long in Saturday's third preseason game, Nall could see plenty more opportunities, and he knows one long run isn't enough to earn him a spot on the 53-man roster.

"I just have to keep working," he said. "I've got to keep doing my job and keep doing things the right way and make sure I'm staying on top of it. If I can do that, I think I'll have a shot and if not, somebody else might pick me up. Coach (Nagy) always says, 'If you don't make our team, we want you to make someone else's team. But for me, I want to make this team."

• Bob LeGere is a senior writer at Pro Football Weekly. Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere or @PFWeekly.