The Chicago Bears have pieced together an interesting roster with training camp less than two months away. As everybody knows, there will be a set number of names locked in place. They won’t be going anywhere, regardless of how bad they may look. A few examples are Justin Fields, Darnell Mooney, Robert Quinn, Roquan Smith, and Kyler Gordon. However, the same can’t be said for around two-thirds of the remaining roster.
Many of them will be fighting for jobs, not only to start but also to even stay employed. The Bears said they wanted competition, and they will get it. Coaches already set the tone last month when they violated league rules with physical practices. That leads to an interesting question. Who among the several players on that roster can least afford to stumble out of the gate when camp begins?
Doing so either risks them being a starter or could get them cut altogether.
Kenny Willekes was killing Bears RT Larry Borom all day (9 pressures), but especially at the end of the game. This altered pass and pair of sacks came in a span of five plays. Willekes really looks like a keeper. pic.twitter.com/DR6cx1xCUb
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 14, 2022
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These Chicago Bears need good starts in training camp.
OT Larry Borom
Teven Jenkins appears situated at right tackle, and there is no reason to think he’s in any danger of losing that job. Not as a former 2nd round pick. The situation with Borom is different. He rarely played left tackle in his football career and didn’t look too good playing it when he started there in Seattle. Also working against him is the Bears’ list of alternate options. They drafted rookie Braxton Jones in the 5th round and have veterans like Eric Fisher or Duane Brown still available as free agents. If they get the sense Borom isn’t measuring up, they could pivot quickly.
WR Dazz Newsome
An injury at the start of training camp last derailed Newsome out of the gate. Now his status on the roster is even more tenuous than before. Chicago added several new faces to the mix, including Byron Pringle, Velus Jones, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe, and Dante Pettis. The former 6th round pick has zero momentum going into this offseason. He is going to need some serious help to get into the conversation of making the roster. His best avenue likely won’t be catching passes. It will be fielding punts. He might arguably be the best punt returner they have. If he can showcase that value next month, that might give him a clear lane to run come the preseason.
DE Trevis Gipson
It sounds crazy that Gipson might be in trouble after the year he had for the Chicago Bears in 2021, notching seven sacks. However, one must remember a few factors. That was in a totally different defense under Sean Desai. He will be shifting from outside linebacker to defensive end in Matt Eberflus’ new 4-3. Such adjustments can be difficult. Then there is the matter of Al-Quadin Muhammad. The Bears signed him as a free agent in March. He has multiple years of experience in this defense and had six sacks last season. Coaches may have no problem going with him as a starter if Gipson falters early.
#Bears cornerback Tavon Young is listed at 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. Despite lining up against 6-foot-7, 257-pound Dolphins tight end Adam Shaheen (who Bears fans know all to well), Young keeps his balance in the end zone and forces an incomplete pass before the half expires. pic.twitter.com/o1aCNoWTLH
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) April 10, 2022
CB Tavon Young
When the Bears signed the former Baltimore Ravens veteran, it was felt they’d found their needed nickel cornerback. That hasn’t changed yet, but it also sounds like his grip on the job isn’t ironclad. Not so much because of his own issues but more the work being put in by Thomas Graham Jr. The former 6th round pick arrived at practices with a sense of urgency and has rapidly improved his understanding of the slot corner position. If that carries over into camp, it will pressure Young to up his own game. This could be one of those battles that is decided in the preseason.
S Dane Cruikshank
Only one person was probably not happy when the Bears drafted Jaquan Brisker in the 2nd round two months ago. That was Cruikshank. He was the favorite to claim the second starting safety job opposite Eddie Jackson until then. That is no longer the case. Brisker is already turning heads in practice with his ability to force turnovers. Right now, Cruikshank’s primary value is his ability to cover opposing tight ends. He must show he can do that and other things as well. Otherwise, it feels like that job has become Brisker’s to lose.
