We’re just days away from the start of Chicago Bears training camp, and there are several position battles to keep an eye on.
While there are several starting jobs up for grabs at quarterback and in the secondary, there are also valuable roster spots up for grabs at running back and wide receiver. And with the absence of preseason games, every training camp rep is going to be even more important.
Some position battles are sure to draw more attention than others, naturally. Our Bears Wire staff shares their thoughts on which position battle they’re looking forward to in training camp.
Alyssa: Quarterback
Yes, it’s the obvious answer. But with the success of this team hinging on quarterback play this season, there’s no denying that the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles is the most important position battle at training camp. The Bears invested a lot to bring Foles to Chicago — a fourth-round pick and $21 million — but that’s still not a guarantee that he wins the job. Matt Nagy has made it clear that this will be an open and fair competition.
While Foles has experience operating in a system similar to Nagy’s, the shortened offseason figures to benefit Trubisky, who already has experience operating this offense and working with Chicago’s skill position players. Especially given that he’s been organizing offseason workouts during the virtual offseason. But regardless of who wins the starting job, it’s certainly no guarantee that they’ll be the starter come season’s end.
Brendan: Wide receiver
Ever since I started following football, I’ve always gravitated towards the wide receivers. It’s the position I love following the most and this year is no different. There are many uncertainties outside of Allen Robinson and you can make an argument that he’s the only player who has his role solidified.
For the second-straight offseason, Anthony Miller will be working back from surgery and could be behind the 8 ball at first. Keep in mind, his 2019 season had a rocky start. He’ll need to show he’s ready to perform when the regular season begins. Former Georgia Bulldogs Riley Ridley and Javon Wims also have something to prove, after neither was able to take off last season, with Ridley riding the bench for most of the year. Can one of them distance themselves from the other and standout during camp?
The Bears were also lacking speed in the position group and now they have two burners who can take the top off of a defense. Free agent signee Ted Ginn Jr. will likely compete with rookie Darnell Mooney for the chance to run the 9 route on gamedays.
With specialist receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Trevor Davis also in the mix, there will be some tough decisions that need to be made when camp wraps up. With no preseason games, every route and catch in camp matters for many of these players.
Ryan: Backup running back
Quarterback is the obvious choice here, so I opted to go with something different. David Montgomery is going to be the lead back in 2020, but the running back position is arguably the one with the least depth on the roster. Tarik Cohen struggled to run through the tackles last year, albeit the offensive line did not play well.
Still, in a league that’s transitioned to using multiple backs, the Bears are walking a fine line. If Montgomery goes down, their season is in serious jeopardy. Behind Cohen lie to Oregon State products in Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce. The two split carries for the Beavers in 2016, with Pierce taking over starting duties once Nall moved onto the NFL.
Now in a similar roster battle, can Nall be more than a preseason All-Star? Can Artavis Pierce become the next Arian Foster? The Bears badly need a capable backup running back to complement Montgomery. Might they be interested in adding a veteran free agent during training camp?
Greg: Quarterback
The Bears this offseason needed to add another quarterback to the roster to give competition to Mitchell Trubisky and they did that by trading with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Nick Foles. The Bears have invested a ton in their two quarterbacks and they need to see who will give them the best results. Trubisky had his shot after being selected as the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but has fallen below expectations. Foles inked a massive contract with the Jaguars, but that turned into a disaster after breaking his collarbone and losing the job to Gardner Minshew.
It’s unfortunate that we can’t see this competition develop in any preseason games, but who says this battle between Foles and Trubisky for the starting job doesn’t go into the regular season games?
