JaMarcus Russell looked good in his workout with the Chicago Bears this week, another milestone in the comeback bid for the quarterback considered one of the biggest draft flops of all time.
The former No. 1 pick reportedly looked impressive in his tryout with the Bears, a league source attending the session said. The source at the workout said JaMarcus Russell had a big arm and good poise in the pocket, though he was a bit rusty and off on some of his throws.
Though the Bears are reportedly not interested in signing Russell , the good workout will help him on his comeback trail. League sources once said no team would sign the former Oakland Raiders quarterback until he lost a significant amount of weight. Russell has already dropped over 50 pounds , bringing him into the 265-pound range.
Now that Russell has trimmed down, it will take more strong workouts to show he still has the skills to play in the league.
“Well, he’s gonna come in looking more athletic. Even when he was heavier, he was pretty good on his feet. But he’s gonna be so much better on his feet,” said former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia on the “Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “The natural abilities for him to throw the ball as people said when he was coming out of LSU — he is impressive in that way. He does have just the natural technique. That ball comes out so smooth, so effortlessly. It’s slick, it rotates. It goes the way that you would like it to go. I think more so than anything, though, it’s gonna be his confidence [the Bears will see].”
If JaMarcus Russell does sign with a team, it would complete an amazing comeback. After being picked first in the 2007 draft, Russell managed only 25 starts and was out of the league by 2009. He made more than $30 million in his three seasons with the Raiders.