Former Seattle Seahawks WR is looking to reunite with Shane Waldron during the Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp

The Chicago Bears' rookie minicamp is quickly approaching with practice beginning  tomorrow, May 10th and continuing on Saturday, May 11th.

While everyone is excited to see the Bears' new rookie class take the field for the first time in Chicago, a sizable amount of players will be looking to keep their professional football dreams alive this weekend.

Along with the nine undrafted free agents that the Bears signed and the growing list of rookie camp invitees, the team will also be hosting three veteran tryouts, including a player with ties to one of the newest members of the Bears' coaching staff.

The three veteran players the Bears will be hosting this weekend at their rookie minicamp are former Seattle Seahawks sixth-round pick Freddie Swain, former Buffalo Bills seventh-round pick Tommy Sweeney, and former New York Jets sixth-round pick Parry Nickerson. All 3 are looking to make an impression worth keeping on the roster.

Swain is perhaps the most intriguing of the three veterans getting tryouts in Chicago this weekend given his prior connection to Bears' offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The former Seahawks' wide receiver spent his first two seasons in Seattle and overlapped with Waldron during the 2021 season.

Under Waldron, Swain had his best statistical season of his career recording 25 receptions for 343 yards and four touchdowns. That season, Swain really emerged as the number 3 option behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at the position and praised Waldron's scheme for the reason for his success.

“You never know who’s going to have it or who’s going to run with it,” Swain said in a 2021 interview via the Seattle Times. “It’s way more dynamic than what we had (last year). The playbook is way simpler, that helps you play fast. You’re not out there thinking as much.”

However, it was a short lived relationship after the Seahawks released Swain prior to the 2022 season. Swain then played for the Miami Dolphins and the Denver Broncos during the 2022 season and bounced between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dolphins practice squad in 2023.

Swain could also look to show off his special teams value this weekend for the Bears. In 2021, Swain returned 22 punts and had six kick off returns in 2020.

Sweeney, the former Bills' tight end, spent his first four years in the league in Buffalo totaling 18 receptions for 165 yards and one touchdown. After finishing out his rookie contract, Sweeney signed with the New York Giants in free agency but was placed on the NFI list and released by November.

As for Nickerson, he appeared in 16 games for the Jets as a rookie at cornerback and has since played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and the Dolphins, logging a total of 30 career games.

This weekend will be a major opportunity for these three players to keep their hopes alive of playing in the NFL and who knows, maybe one of the three could show out and impress some of the Bears' coaching staff.