The Chicago Bears plan to play some of their starters at least into the 2nd quarter against Buffalo this week. After that? The true evaluation period will begin once again as several players across the roster battle for their spots. With the preseason itself reduced to three games, the margin for error is even slimmer than before. That means this upcoming game might be one that makes or breaks several of them.
So looking across the depth chart, who are some names that probably need a big performance the most. Not in their pursuit of a starting job mind you. This is about whether or not they make the roster at all. Believe it or not, there are some unexpected names that fans might be surprised to see listed below.
These Chicago Bears should not be feeling comfortable
Riley Ridley (WR)
The 4th round pick from 2019 hasn’t had a lot of opportunities the past two years. Part of that is because he just hasn’t been able to stand out enough in practice. Every time it looks like Ridley is finding some traction, something happens that slows his momentum. This year is no different. For every two or three nice plays he makes in practice, he’ll have a rough drop not long after. The Bears are tired of inconsistency at wide receiver. With others pushing hard for the final spots, this could be Ridley’s last stand.
J.P. Holtz (TE)
The arrival of Jesse James was the first indicator that Holtz was in trouble. Up until that point he was the unquestioned #3 tight end behind Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham. That is no longer the case. Even worse, his grip on the #4 spot is slipping. Partly because he hasn’t been healthy at times and also the fact Jesper Horsted has begun making plays in bunches in his absence. Both need to have some kind of impact against Buffalo, but it’s a safe bet that Holtz needs it more. His versatility carried him a long way but that alone won’t save him this time around.
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Elijah Wilkinson (OT)
Most felt that it was a given that Wilkinson would be on the Chicago Bears roster. They wanted some veteran experience at tackle and he brings plenty from Denver. However, things may have changed. Larry Borom has started to emerge at left tackle and so has second-year man Lachavious Simmons at right tackle. Remember the Bears carried four tackles last year. One would suspect it will be the same in 2021. That means Wilkinson could end up losing his spot. Borom won’t be cut. That means it’s between he and Simmons for that last job. Given how underwhelming he looked last week? Wilkinson is under lots of pressure.
Trevis Gipson (OLB)
When the Bears traded up for Gipson in the 5th round last year, they saw a young pass rusher with loads of potential. He’s made the transition to outside linebacker more complete this offseason and is in good shape. He has looked better in camp but the problem is it hasn’t stood out enough. Last week despite numerous snaps on defense, he never stood out consistently. Meanwhile, guys like James Vaughters, Jeremiah Attaochu, and rookie Charles Snowden collected multiple pressures. Maybe his draft status will protect him for one more year, but not if he’s quiet against the Bills.
Josh Woods (ILB)
It’s incredible how fast things can change in the space of a few weeks. Woods saw his grip on a roster spot start to slip a few months ago when the Bears signed Christian Jones as a free agent. Then things got a lot more troubling when Alec Ogletree arrived. He immediately started ripping up camp with interceptions and capped it off with a great performance in Week 1 against Miami. All this while Woods was out with a quad injury. There is zero room for error now. Chicago might carry five inside linebackers, but even if they do it feels like Joel Iyiegbuniwe is ahead of him right now.
Desmond Trufant (CB)
Everybody felt that Trufant was the heir apparent for Kyle Fuller when the Bears signed him. A former Pro Bowler who’d had a solid career elsewhere. It hasn’t felt that way in training camp. Trufant’s name is rarely mentioned while others like Kindle Vildor, Tre Roberson, and even Artie Burns seem to be gathering some steam. It hasn’t helped that Trufant suffered an injury setback in camp. He was nowhere to be found in the opener against Miami. The fact he signed a minimal contract means cutting him wouldn’t hurt this team financially at all. So he has to step up in this game.