Chicago Bears Training Camp: First block of practice offers telling signs about the depth chart in key positions
The Chicago Bears have wrapped the first block of training camp following Tuesday's practice and will have a day off on Wednesday before returning for three consecutive sessions to end the week at Halas Hall.During the last four days of practice, we finally got a good glimpse at some of the important positional battles going […]
The Chicago Bears have wrapped the first block of training camp following Tuesday's practice and will have a day off on Wednesday before returning for three consecutive sessions to end the week at Halas Hall.
During the last four days of practice, we finally got a good glimpse at some of the important positional battles going on and what the depth chart is looking like at key positions when some of the usual starters were off the field.
Here are some of the main takeaways from what's been reported and said out of Halas Hall during the first few days of training camp.
Bears are in no hurry to name a starting center
This has been the biggest battle on the offensive side of the ball throughout the entire summer and it's continued to be the case during the first four days of camp. The glaring hole in the middle of the offensive line is still a two man race between Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates, who have rotated in and out of the first-team offense during each day of practice.
This will continue to be an ongoing battle during camp, but the coaching staff will soon get a more clear view of things in the coming days. Evaluating positional battles up-front has been a challenge without pads on and with more restrictions in place. However, on Friday, the pads will finally be on for the first time and in front of fans.
"We're going to let that play out," head coach Matt Eberflus said on Monday. "I told the guys today, 'You make the team or you make your position in pads.' It's hard to evaluate guys when we're out here and not in pads. The pass protection is hard. The pass rush is hard to really evaluate if a guy can bore around the corner or if he can really protect against the bull rush. We put limits on the guys a little bit—what they can and cannot do—so they don't [get injured] while we're in shells."
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron praised both Shelton and Bates for their efforts so far and said that rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has a great comfort level with either player, which is a great sign to see. As for the battle itself, defensive tackle Andrew Billings offered some insight about what sets the two apart on Tuesday.
"We've got two different body types," Billings explained. "We've got one quick guy and one really strong guy. That competition is going to come down to consistency."
Rumored cut candidate is taking advantage of every opportunity
A few weeks back, I named offensive tackle Larry Borom as a potential cut candidate and roster bubble player heading into training camp. Borom is quickly putting those narratives to bed after taking first-team reps at left tackle while the starter, Braxton Jones, was limited during multiple practices this week.
Jones' undisclosed injury isn't the only opportunity Borom has been able to capitalize on during camp. Rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie still hasn't been able to fully participate in practice on the field and is currently still on the NFI list since the start of camp. Eberflus noted earlier this offseason that the hope was that the third-round selection will be on the field at some point during camp but in the meantime, Borom has been the first guy coming in behind Jones.
We'll see if things continue to go Borom's way throughout the rest of camp and if Amegadjie will change things once he's fully cleared. Borom's biggest concern is his proven performance escalator that pushed his 2024 price tag up to over $3 million.
Veteran addition & rookie pass rusher continue to get rotated in off the edge
Defensively, the biggest question for Eberflus and defensive coordinator Eric Washington's unit has been on the defensive front. Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker are the clear starters, and have been moved around in various places all over the line, but how have things been looking behind them?
Rotating in behind those two have mainly been Jacob Martin, who's made some big plays during team drills, and fifth-round rookie Austin Booker. Following Tuesday's practice, Washington had nothing but great reviews for both players after each got some time working in with the starting unit.
"Great speed and quickness; very athletic,” Washington said about Martin. “He’s an excellent space player. But he’s really sturdy at the point of attack. Those types of things you really need to have. We can anticipate his role being as a three-down defender. So, so far as a right defensive end, he’s doing a nice job.”
"Just trying to make sure that we give him exposure," Washington said about Booker. "But at the same time we continue to build him and move him at a pace that we think is reasonable for his long-term development… There's a lot of positives, I saw a lot of things that I'm really excited about. His hand usage, his ability to counter. He's competing out there, he's competing to win."
Depth wide receivers are finding ways to stand out
The wide receiver position is another group on the roster that is strong at the top but has some questions beyond who's starting at the position. This week, we got to see which wide receivers were rotating in and making an impact with the first-team unit.
Second-year Tyler Scott has impressed the most during the first few days of camp, coming down with a handful of deep balls from the team's rookie quarterback. Dante Pettis has also turned some heads on some deep passes from backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and taken some opportunities as a punt returner.
During Tuesday's practice, some other faces came in during team drills with DJ Moore sitting out and Keenan Allen off for a veteran rest day. In their absence, DeAndre Carter and Collin Johnson mixed in and each caught passes from Williams against the starting defense during the two minute drill, per Nicholas Moreano.
The coaching staff will continue giving each player an opportunity to prove themselves throughout the remainder of camp to determine which players the team will keep on the 53-man roster.
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