Bears' Mandatory Minicamp: Three offensive players to keep a close eye during the week ahead
The Chicago Bears are set to start the next phase of the offseason program this week, which means more opportunities for players to fight for their spot on the 53-man roster and in the starting lineup.There are still a few notable battles going on in practice throughout the Bears' roster and this week's mandatory minicamp […]
The Chicago Bears are set to start the next phase of the offseason program this week, which means more opportunities for players to fight for their spot on the 53-man roster and in the starting lineup.
There are still a few notable battles going on in practice throughout the Bears' roster and this week's mandatory minicamp will be a big opportunity to show out considering the entire roster is expected to be at practice.
With that being said, here are three players on the offensive side of the ball to keep an eye on during the week to see how they match up and perform at their positions.
1. RB Ian Wheeler
The Bears' running back room is starting to come into question heading into mandatory minicamp, specifically at the depth of the position.
Free agent acquisition D'Andre Swift commanded the room during organized team activities and the offense has two capable backs behind him on the depth chart in Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson. However, undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler could be the most intriguing back to watch during this week at practice.
Wheeler was brought on due to his special teams experience in college and to be a form of competition for running back Travis Homer. Wheeler has a very unique skillset at the position, some of which has already been explored during rookie minicamp and OTAs. It'll be key to see if we get any more news with his name on it this week.
2. C Coleman Shelton/Ryan Bates
Probably the most important positional battle on the Bears' roster is going on at the center position to determine who will be the starter by the time the season gets here.
The battle is mainly between two veteran additions to the roster in Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton. During the one day of media access the first week of OTAs, Bates took the starting reps with the first team. During the one day of media access the second week of OTAs, Shelton took the starting reps. However, it's important to know that no one outside of the building knows who took what snaps during the other four days of OTAs.
Following last Friday's practice, head coach Matt Eberflus said that the two are in a competition for the starting job, along with other positions on the roster, and the coaches will continue rotating between the two players.
“We’ve been rotating some,” Eberflus said. “We’re working on both guys and getting used to both centers. At some point, you need two centers, as we all know, during the course of the year. We’re just training those guys.”
3. WR Nsimba Webster
We all know by now who the Bears' starting wide receivers are, but the depth behind the big three has been an interesting storyline out of Halas Hall. Outside of Moore and Odunze, here are the wide receivers who caught a pass from Caleb Williams during 7-on-7 drills on the last day of OTAs: Tyler Scott, Nsimba Webster, and John Jackson.
Scott on paper should confidently be slotted as the Bears' fourth wide receiver on the depth chart but who's listed after him is up for grabs. Velus Jones is a lock for the roster as a kick returner but hasn't offered much value as a receiver. John Jackson has been a feel good story as Williams' college best friend and has made some plays here and there in practice. However, Nsimba Webster is who I have my eyes on this week.
The players and coaches really seem to like Webster and he's been on the team since 2021 as a practice squad guy. It was really notable to see his name among the players getting action with Williams during team drills with Keenan Allen not there. We'll see if that changes or not with Allen expected to be back.
