Chicago Bears: 5 training camp battles
Jonathan Bullard vs Roy Robertson-Harris
When it comes to legitimate names fighting over starting spot, this is going to be the matchup to watch. Last season, Bullard and Robertson-Harris ranked fourth and fifth respectively in snaps played amongst defensive lineman. However, coming in third in defensive line snaps was Mitch Unrein. Unrein now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This means that both are going to get a bump in snaps, but one is going to jump into starter snaps.
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The early leader is Bullard. Last season Bullard played 438 snaps whereas Roy Robertson-Harris played in 212. Still, it is worth noting that in the last 5 games of the season, when the team began to look to the future, the snap disparity was just 179 for Bullard to 127 for Robertson-Harris.
When looking at the skill set of the two, there will likely be a similar compliment. The two have somewhat varying skill sets, and cold mix and match snaps. Bullard is more of an upfield penetrator. He can kick inside. He wins with power and burst.
Robertson-Harris is a former edge rusher. He is sliding further out before he is sliding inside. So, while one will likely play more than the other, it will not be a huge disparity.
Still, Bullard should continue to ride a touch higher than Robertson-Harris. He has more draft pedigree, more experience and can slide up and down the line. If things click for Bullard, they have a potential high-end starter. Expect him to continue to see the majority of the snaps.