The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the starting of training camp next week, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered ahead of the 2020 regular season.
Obviously training camp is going to look different amid COVID-19 concerns, which includes the cancellation of preseason. Which means every rep for players competing for a starting job or roster spot — be it quarterback, cornerback, safety, etc. — is going to be important.
Let’s take a look at the six biggest questions heading into training camp.
1. Who will win the starting quarterback job?
No doubt the biggest question heading into training camp — and the regular season — is who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback. Following a rough season for third-year starter Mitchell Trubisky, the team traded for an experienced veteran in Nick Foles to challenge Trubisky for the starting job. But Foles isn’t just there to mentor and push Trubisky, he’s there to potentially replace him.
Obviously with the virtual offseason amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarterback competition isn’t going to pan out how the Bears had wanted it to. With the absence of organized team activities, minicamp and the cancellation of the preseason, there will be a limited sample size from which Matt Nagy will have to make his decision. That small sample size ultimately benefits Trubisky, who could be a favorite to win the job given his experience operating this offense with these current playmakers. But we’ll see if Foles can ultimately best Trubisky in training camp practices against one of the league’s best defenses.
2. How will the Bears camp go amid COVID-19 concerns?
There’s no doubt that the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is going to be one of the biggest struggles for all 32 NFL teams. Not only has it already affected the offseason and preseason, but the first couple of weeks of training camp are going to be integral to seeing how teams acclimate to the new norm of this NFL season.
The NFL and NFLPA agreed upon safety protocols ahead of training camp. There will be daily COVID-19 testing for the first two weeks of camp with an emphasis on positivity rates at the two-week mark. If the positivity rate drops below 5%, testing will move to every other day. Players will also need to have more than one negative test before being allowed to enter team facilities. There are also procedures for players that test positive for the virus, and the goal of these protocols is to keep everyone safe and move forward with the 2020 season.
3. How will a lack of a preseason affect various position battles?
With so many starting jobs and roster spots up for grabs in Chicago, the news that preseason has been cancelled this season isn’t exactly comforting news. Not only does that affect late-round and undrafted free agents vying for roster spots, but it’s going to make it hard on the players competing for starting jobs.
The Bears have a number of roster battles that will kickoff in training camp, including most importantly the quarterback competition between Trubisky and Foles. The small sample size will make it difficult on Nagy when choosing who he wants to ultimately tie his wagon to. But there are also starting jobs up for grabs at cornerback, safety and right guard, as well as roster spots at backup running back, wide receiver and tight end. It’ll be difficult for some to really show what they bring to the position just in camp practices alone.
4. Who will win starting jobs in the secondary?
This offseason saw some key departures in the secondary with the release of cornerback Prince Amukamara and free-agent departure of safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, which means the Bears have some big shoes to fill at those positions. While Deon Bush appeared primed to take over at strong safety — with two-time Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson moving back to free safety — the Bears signed veteran safety Tashaun Gipson this offseason, and he appears to be the frontrunner to win the job.
But it’s the cornerback battle that presents as the most intriguing, given there are a slew of viable contenders for the starting job. While the Bears are confident in second-round rookie Jaylon Johnson, he’ll have some competition in veterans Kevin Toliver and Artie Burns, as well as CFL star Tre Roberson. The lack of a significant sample size will certainly make it difficult to call, but it’s no doubt one of the biggest battles this training camp.
5. How will the offense look in Year 3?
The Bears offense was among the worst in the NFL last season — yes, they were that bad — and a big focus this offseason has been remedying that. Chicago added some new pieces to the mix in quarterback Nick Foles, tight ends Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet and Demetrius Harris, as well as receivers Ted Ginn Jr. and Darnell Mooney. They also added some new offensive coaches with specific areas of expertise in the areas where Chicago struggled last season — at quarterback, the run game, tight ends and the offensive line.
While there are a number of players that are new to the offense, there are still a handful of offensive players that are entering Year 3 of Nagy’s offense, which should be the year where they finally start to put it all together, according to Nagy. Ultimately, the same questions remain since the end of last season: Can the Bears get adequate QB play? Will the Bears finally find a way to run the football? Can Chicago’s tight ends contribute? How will the offensive line respond after a disappointing season? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
6. Will the Bears and Allen Robinson get an extension done before the season?
Fans have been clamoring for the Bears to sign star receiver Allen Robinson to a contract extension since the end of a disappointing season where Robinson still managed to succeed. It’s not really a surprise that general manager Ryan Pace hasn’t gotten anything done yet, and it’s not just because of the uncertainty with COVID-19.
Pace tends to reward his star players with contract extensions during camp and closer to the start of the season. Look no further than Kyle Long, Akiem Hicks, Charles Leno Jr., Eddie Goldman and Cody Whitehair, who were all inked to contract extensions ahead of the start of the regular season. It wouldn’t be a surprise to find Robinson’s name on that list. Although, Robinson said last week that there hadn’t been contract talks just yet.
