The Chicago Bears know what to expect going into training camp this year. Head coach Ben Johnson made that clear last summer. It will be tough, intense, and relentless. He believes the only way to survive such a long, grueling schedule is by building callouses in camp. That means physical practices. It certainly worked last season. There is no reason to change that approach now. The difficult part will be shaping the depth chart ahead of opening day against the Carolina Panthers.
There are several position battles set to take place next month. All of them are important, but some are especially crucial to this team’s success. Here is a ranking of the biggest ones.
The Chicago Bears have six key position battles to sort through.
06. Long snapper
For the first time since 1998, the Bears will go into an NFL season with an inexperienced long snapper. From that season through 2025, the organization has employed only three names: Patrick Mannelly, Patrick Scales, and Scott Daly. It was a pretty impressive run. That has come to an end. Daly left for Tampa Bay in free agency. Now, Chicago will hold a competition between former Iowa standout Luke Elkin, who practiced with the team last year, and reigning Mannelly Award winner Beau Gardner, an undrafted rookie from Georgia. It might be a forgotten position, but long snappers are quietly vital. Without a good one, everything on special teams gets much harder.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
05. Strong side linebacker
Tremaine Edmunds was cut. Noah Sewell is coming off an Achilles injury. That leaves the Chicago Bears uncertain about two starting jobs from last season. T.J. Edwards is the only one returning who should be ready to go. He should take over in the middle. Thankfully, the team did sign Devin Bush as a free agent. He’ll take over the weak side. That leaves Sewell’s original spot on the strong side. DeMarco Jackson, who was terrific as a backup last season, returned on a one-year deal. He should have the edge to claim that spot. However, he’ll be challenged by Jack Sanborn, who returns after a brief sojourn in Dallas. He has more experience at that spot, which makes their battle all the more fascinating.
04. Wide Receiver 3
Trading D.J. Moore was a necessity this offseason. The Chicago Bears were caught in a salary cap crunch and had few ways to get out of it. Unloading their veteran wide receiver was one of them. So they sent him to Buffalo for draft picks. It has left the team with uncertainty about their depth. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are the unquestioned top two receivers on the team. Together with Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet, that should be the top four targets for Caleb Williams. Still, Coach Johnson wants variety. That third receiver spot vacated by Moore is important. Will he lean on veteran Kalif Raymond, who has deep familiarity with the system from his time in Detroit, or will he go for rookie burner Zavion Thomas, who may have more versatility? Either can expect a pretty strong workload.
03. Cornerback 2
Jaylon Johnson is returning as the unquestioned #1 cornerback for the Bears. Nickel corner is also not much of a debate since nobody seems poised to challenge Kyler Gordon for it. That leaves the second boundary spot opposite Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson held that job last season before he was eventually benched in favor of Nahshon Wright. With the latter departing for New York, the job is once again projected to return to Stevenson. However, the Bears aren’t making it easy. Rookie 4th round pick Malik Muhammad is poised to challenge him for that spot, as will a returning Terell Smith from his torn ACL. Stevenson would be wise not to dismiss them. Both have more than enough capability to snatch the job if he’s not careful.
02. Center
Drew Dalman retiring was a real kick in the gut. For the first time in what felt like ages, the Bears had finally found a center who looked like a long-term starter. Then, after a Pro Bowl season, he retired at age 27. Intentional or not, it left the team in a rough situation. They were forced to divert resources to the position they hadn’t planned on. A 5th round pick was sent to New England for veteran Garrett Bradbury, a former 1st round pick with lots of starting experience. A month later, they selected Logan Jones out of Iowa in the 2nd round. Initially, it was felt that Bradbury would get the starting job as the more experienced of the two. However, Jones has already impressed coaches during spring practices. There is a strong belief he has a chance to fight for that spot.
01. Left tackle
To nobody’s surprise, the person responsible for protecting Williams’ blind side is the most important going into 2026. The Chicago Bears had hoped they had found their solution to the problem last year with Ozzy Trapilo. It looked like they were right, until he tore his patellar tendon. They’re back to square one now, forced to hold another competition between mostly familiar faces. Braxton Jones has a shot at redemption after getting benched last year. Being fully healthy should help a lot. Theo Benedet has put on good weight to help his pass protection. Kiran Amegadjie is still talented. The only new addition is Jedrick Wills, the former top 10 pick of the Cleveland Browns.
Whoever the Bears end up choosing, they need him to at least be decent. A turnstile at the second-most important position on the offense could derail everything they want to achieve this season. This is where the team must have faith in offensive line coach Dan Roushar to make the right decision.
