Iggy "Pops" Off

Bears free agent linebacker expresses displeasure with the way he was kept in the background throughout his four years with the team under Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace.

USA Today

One of the mysteries of Bears player development under Ryan Pace has been the case of Joel "Iggy" Iyiegbuniwe.

Apparently he, too, is mystified by it.

The team drafted Iyiegbuniwe in the fourth round out of Western Kentucky in 2018 hoping they had a possible inside linebacker for the post-Danny Trevathan era or at least another strong backup like Nick Kwiatkoski.

Iyiegbuniwe not only never got into the lineup as a starter, but very rarely even saw the field on defense. He had only 49 plays of defense in four seasons. 

Even after Kwiatkoski ascended and earned a free agent contract from the Raiders, the Bears didn't use Iyiegbuniwe while players like Josh Woods, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Alec Ogletree, Manti Te'o and Christian Jones were brought in and used ahead of him.

One month out from unrestricted free agency, Iyiegbuniwe shed some light on his future and past Monday with the Bears via social media on Instagram.

"For those asking why I never amounted to a starter for the Bears or beyond I myself can't answer that," Iyiegbuniwe wrote. "Over the years I worked overtime to prove that I deserved the opportunity. Waited my turn and starred in the role I was given."

The role was special teams and he was one of the players often mentioned as vital by former special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. Iyiegbuniwe had 24 tackles and a forced fumble on special teams the past four years but didn't get the chance in the defense.

"In four years, not once did I get a chance to show off my talent/hard work," Iyiegbuniwe continued. "As much as that pissed me off I realized something. "Gods timing not yours." Last night I watched a player who 6 months ago was on a team that didn't appreciate him or his talent win a Super Bowl on his new squad. Not only did he win but he contributed the whole way there.

"It hit me, all I need is a team that wants and needs me. We know how this game works. I can't control everything that happens to me but I do control my reaction. I've finally come to peace with how my career has gone so far. This is all part of my story! The past is the past so this is the last you'll hear of it."

Iyiegbuniwe then all but said he'll hope to play elsewhere in 2022.

"I have no clue where I'll be next year but I'm dying to find out and get to work," he wrote. "Don't care what it takes, I'll work 100x harder if I have to. #"

#Bears linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft, posted on his Instagram about his journey so far in the NFL.

It also looks like Iyiegbuniwe is expecting to play on a new team for the 2022 season. pic.twitter.com/3QCUEyvn3U

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) February 14, 2022

Considering the situation the Bears have at linebacker going forward, it seemed Iyiegbuniwe might have wanted to at least wait around to see what new management and coaching thinks of him. Or maybe they already have.

The Bears can actually use linebackers and if he hasn't been given a chance by the former coaching staff and management, then maybe Iyiegbuniwe is complaining a bit too soon because it's possible he could have gotten a chance now in a 4-3 system. At least it would be different than a defense where there are really only two linebackers, because in the Bears 3-4 the outside linebackers are mostly edge rushers.

Unless the Bears are planning to clone Roquan Smith—possibly not a bad idea—they are going to need linebackers at strong side and weak side linebackers. Both Ogletree and Jones are more suited to inside linebacker in a 3-4 than playing outside or the middle in a 4-3. Even Trevathan is more of a 3-4 fit than a 4-3 player, and he'll be 32 years old when the season starts. Overthecap.com says the team can save $3.3 million of cap space by assigning Trevathan a June 1 cut date, so it seems there will be a huge hole and gigantic turnover at linebacker for 2022 by the Bears.

If what Iyiegbuniwe writes is to be taken on face value, he won't care about any of this because he'll be playing elsewhere.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven