The Chicago Bears opened 2026 training camp on Wednesday with their first practice at Halas Hall, and the competition for roster spots is already starting to heat up.

General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson addressed the media on Tuesday, providing updates on several key positions and setting expectations for the weeks ahead. From left tackle to the nickel cornerback spot, Chicago has four significant battles that will shape this roster before the regular season arrives.

Another left tackle competition for the Chicago Bears

The most familiar battle returns at left tackle, where Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills, and Kiran Amegadjie will compete for the starting job. Jones, the former fifth-round pick who started the opener in each of the last four seasons, re-signed on a one-year deal to prove himself. He’s carrying more internal and external confidence, both mentally and physically, to where he should be in the pole position for the starting left tackle role to open training camp.

Still, Poles also complimented Benedet on his return and spoke highly of Wills, the former Cleveland Browns first-round pick who took an entire year off to get healthy from knee injuries that plagued him throughout the early portion of his career. That makes the left tackle competition one of the more exciting position battles to monitor throughout camp.

“It’s going to be a great competition,” Poles said. “We’ve got Braxton at a really good spot, probably the healthiest he’s been since his first year. He’s going to compete. He’s got a lot of snaps under his belt. Theo’s done a great job. We see what he’s done with his body this offseason and he just continues to get bigger, stronger, faster …

“I was really encouraged by Jedrick Wills and his progress that he’s made. He’s put over double-digit lean mass on his body, which is something we were looking forward to as he gets to getting back to what he was. So that whole group and then Ozzy’s working his tail off. So, we’ve got a couple of layers to that, and we’ll see how it all plays out, and Kiran as well.”

Will Garrett Bradbury run away with the center job?

At center, veteran Garrett Bradbury, acquired via trade from the New England Patriots, appears to have an early lead over rookie Logan Jones. Many expected a tight competition between the two, but Bradbury continues to make positive impressions with the entire staff. His veteran experience has been noticeable in everything the Bears have seen from him so far.

“You have a guy with a ton of NFL experience that just played in the Super Bowl,” Poles said of Bradbury. “I think he’s one of those glue guys for the offensive line that brings everyone together. He has a ton of knowledge and wisdom on how to play the position, especially with a young quarterback behind him.”

That said, Jones is an exciting young player who has the chance to get up to speed quickly. How much of a real competition he creates over the next few weeks will be worth watching closely.

“Logan’s hungry,” Poles added. “He’s got great football character, strong. From a physical standpoint, he’s in a really good place. But obviously as a young center, this game’s a lot different at this level. But we expect to get competition there as we go. Really happy with how Bradbury’s been.”

Luther Burden vs. Jaylon Johnson headlines the skill position battles

The most compelling individual matchup of training camp might not be a positional competition at all. Wide receiver Luther Burden and cornerback Jaylon Johnson are set to go head-to-head throughout camp, and the Bears are thrilled about both players entering camp healthy and hungry this time around.

“If there’s a guy that I’m really excited about, it’s Luther Burden just because of how much he’s grown from the day he walked in this building,” Poles said. “I heard he was just texting and calling these quarterbacks just looking for an arm to throw to him every day of the week. The guy loves football, he’s passionate about it. He wants to help this team win, and he wants to be the absolute best receiver he can possibly be. You can feel the fire inside of him, and I’m excited to see that show up.”

Burden has the potential to be a breakout player for Chicago in 2026. He didn’t get much of a training camp last year because of a quad injury, so this is his first real opportunity to build chemistry with the offense during the summer.

On the other side of the ball, Johnson missed the entirety of camp last year with a groin injury and is now fully healthy and ready to reassert himself as the team’s lockdown No. 1 cornerback. That daily matchup between two talented, motivated players should raise the level of play on both sides of the ball along with Johnson matching up against Rome Odunze.

Nickel cornerback vacancy looms with Kyler Gordon sidelined

The fourth battle carries perhaps the most urgency. With Kyler Gordon dealing with a calf injury that has no timetable for return, the Bears are frustrated by the uncertainty at nickel. The two primary candidates to fill that role in Gordon’s absence are rookie Malik Muhammad and veteran Cam Lewis, who was signed this offseason.

Chicago would prefer to establish a clear starter at the nickel spot rather than rotate players in and out on a weekly basis. Having security at that position matters, especially if Gordon’s absence extends into the regular season. How Muhammad and Lewis perform over the next few weeks could determine whether the Bears feel comfortable with their secondary depth or need to explore additional options.