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Uar Bernard is playing football.
It's not something he has done in an organized setting before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, but he's now at rookie minicamp, part of a team for the first time, trying to learn the game.
He's there because he's a physical specimen.
At the same time, he kind of looks like a guy who hasn't played football before -- because he really hasn't.
This is the first footage of him from rookie minicamp, which features help needed to get his helmet on correctly, but then some quick burst out of a stance:
Uar Bernard in drills: pic.twitter.com/XwJyI2cQOX
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) May 1, 2026MORE: Shilo Sanders under fire for telling female reporter to 'make a sandwich'
Clearly, this is a long-term development path.
The Eagles wouldn't have taken Bernard in the draft from Nigeria if they didn't believe he had a chance, though.
“It’s a dream come true for me because I’ve worked hard for this,” Bernard said after being selected. “I’ve not played football, but I’ve gone through some drills that made me believe that I’m going to get better every day. I thank God for everything. I thank God for life. I thank God for the opportunities given to me to be drafted by the Eagles.”
The Eagles did find offensive lineman Jordan Mailata through the International Pathway Program, and they're hoping they nailed another one.
“We wanted to take the chance on the kid,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said after the draft. “Obviously, we’ve had great success with that program. We spent a lot of time with him. Coach [Clint] Hurtt went down there and spent the day with him, worked him out. You know, just for us, it was a passion project. Obviously, he’s got a lot of tools in his body. Understand it’s going to take time. It’s going to take a lot of time here.”
Bernard has a long journey ahead of him. These are just his first steps.
English (US)