Breathe easy, Bears fans. We’re just about a month away from the start of training camp in Bourbonnais, Ill. It will be the first chance for the public to see the 2019 team in action and marks the unofficial start to the football season.
Stars such as Mitchell Trubisky, Tarik Cohen, Allen Robinson, Kyle Long, Khalil Mack, Roquan Smith, and Akiem Hicks, among many others, are sure to stand out during practices, but who are the players that have a shot to make a significant impact this preseason and potentially in the regular season that are flying under the radar? Let’s take a look.
Marvin Hall, WR
Following the conclusion of the 2019 NFL Draft, there was a wider receiver named Hall who was building buzz going into spring activities as one of the wide receivers to watch. Except, it was Emanuel, not Marvin.
Hall (Marvin), is facing long odds to make the 53-man roster come September, but a strong showing this spring, plus an injury to Emanuel, has opened the door for the former Falcon to grab a roster spot in a deep wide receiver group.
His name has consistently been mentioned among the top performers at practice and his speed could prove worthwhile on special teams, if not on offense. The final roster spot will likely come down to the two Halls and Javon Wims.
Roy Robertson-Harris, DE
Roy Robertson-Harris (RRH) burst onto the scene during the preseason in 2017 and has become a solid depth player for one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The statistics don’t always show it (he had 22 tackles and three sacks in 2018) but listed at 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds, Robertson-Harris is a force when he’s on the field.
But with Akiem Hicks’ Pro Bowl season and the emergence of Bilal Nichols, Robertson-Harris was somewhat a forgotten piece of the defensive line. Still, he improved from his rookie season and should factor in as a key rotational player with Hicks and Nichols in 2019.
Ben Braunecker, TE
A lot of the conversation surrounding the Bears’ tight ends has centered on Trey Burton‘s injury and Adam Shaheen‘s potential, yet Braunecker might be the player who can benefit most from the latest developments within the group.
After earning more playing time in his second season, the Bears signed Braunecker to a two-year contract extension this spring. While he’s sure to remain a key special teams player, Braunecker could very well see more snaps on offense with some uncertainty surrounding the position. He’ll get some looks in camp and may be able to carve out a spot, even when Burton and Shaheen are both healthy and the new additions of undrafted free agent Dax Raymond and former tackle Bradley Sowell.
Kevin Toliver II, CB
When Toliver was signed as an undrafted free agent from LSU last offseason, he had quite the buzz about him. Analysts predicted he could be a significant contributor to the team in 2018.
Toliver did play in all but one game last season, even earning a start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and recording seven tackles. He was primarily a special teams player for the majority of the season, but outside of Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller and veteran Prince Amukamara, the Bears are somewhat thin at the outside corner position.
All the talk this offseason has been around new slot cornerbacks Buster Skrine, signed away from the New York Jets, and sixth-round selection Duke Shelley out of Kansas State, but Toliver could prove important to the defense’s success, especially if one of the starters goes down with an injury. He should see more opportunities in his sophomore season.
Kerrith Whyte Jr, RB
The Bears selected two running backs in this year’s draft but the focus has only been on one. Third-round pick and former Iowa State Cyclone David Montgomery is grabbing all the headlines with his play this spring.
Couple that with the addition of Mike Davis to join Tarik Cohen (which has already led to memes and t-shirt creations for the trio, now dubbed “Run DMC”) and it’s easy to forget about Whyte, the seventh-round speedster out of Florida Atlantic.
Whyte’s journey to make the final roster isn’t going to be an easy one, but he provides the Bears with another home-run threat out of the backfield and will likely see looks as a returner in the preseason. He’ll battle with others for the final running back spot, most notably 2018 preseason darling Ryan Nall. His skill-set makes him an intriguing piece for Matt Nagy’s offense and could steal some of the spotlight from Montgomery come August.
