What are the five Chicago Bears training camp battles to watch for?
The Chicago Bears will be the first team to get underway at training camp. They also have the benefit of an extra preseason game thanks to the Hall of Fame game. It means that they will have the longest look at every potential training camp battle and competition for roster spots. The Chicago Bears do not have major competition for starting spots. However, there will be intense practices and players pushing for jobs as always. What are the five battles to keep an eye on?
Kevin Toliver vs Marcus Cooper
No, this is not a battle for a starting spot. However, it is likely a battle for a roster spot and a competition that every Chicago Bears fan should keep an eye on. When looking at the cornerback depth, every spot seems to have a role. There are the two outside starters, Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller. The slot starter, Bryce Callahan. Cre’Von LeBlanc has the inside track to backup slot duties and Sherrick McManis is purely a special teams player. It likely leaves one spot, the backup outside cornerback.
Related Story: Kevin Toliver UDFA profile
In one corner, we have the incumbent, Marcus Cooper. Cooper lost his starting job last season but held down the backup outside spot and was re-signed this summer. On the other side, the challenger, Kevin Toliver.
Toliver is a UDFA option, which certainly puts him at a disadvantage. However, coming from LSU he was a former top recruit who had a rough go of his college career. He has off of the field concerns but has on the field talent. He has already caught his coach’s eye at OTAs and if he can keep his head on straight, will come into camp with a chance to win a roster spot.
Most Bears fans should be rooting for Toliver. He is younger, can be under team control longer and has starter upside. Marcus Cooper is a safer play but lacks most of the positives in which Toliver represents. Cooper will enter camp as the leader in this battle, but Toliver could gain the inside edge by the end of summer.
Bradley Sowell vs Earl Watford vs Dejon Allen vs Matt McCants
Again, we are not looking at starting snaps, but instead looking into an interesting decision that this team must make. We all know of the offensive line spots, tackle is likely the weak unit. With that said, the depth behind Charles Leno and Bobby Massie should matter.
The Bears are likely to keep eight offensive linemen. 5 starters, Eric Kush, and two players from the list above, Hroniss Grasu and Jordan Morgan. How should the four above rank, and should any make it over Grasu or Morgan?
Bradley Sowell has the most experience on the Chicago Bears roster of this group of tackles. Last season, the team signed him late into summer. He started two games last season, although they came at guard. Still, the team brought back Bradley Sowell on a two-year deal. With his experience at multiple positions and his contract status, he will likely come in as the top dog and a leader to make the team over Morgan and Grasu as well.
However, Earl Watford is going to make a case. Watford started nine games last season and 20 over the past two at 3 different spots, including right tackle. If can show more serviceable as a right tackle than Sowell, he should get the spot, despite the fact that Sowell is on the books for $300K next season.
McCants seems unlikely to make the roster but will push the other two. He has been in the NFL since 2012 but has only started in three games.
Lastly is Dejon Allen, the UDFA from Hawaii. Allen has upside and experience at three positions. He is one of the highlights of this UDFA class. By the looks of it, it seems as though the team will head in the direction of keeping one of Sowell or Watford. That will be their veteran swing tackle. The eighth lineman will be one of Allen or Mogan. They can try to push the other to the practice squad, and let Grasu, who lacks versatility go.
The early indication is that Sowell has the edge and can keep it with a standard summer. Morgan, with fifth-round draft status, would likely have the edge over Allen for now. Allen should be found to slide to the practice squad.
James Daniels vs Eric Kush
When James Daniels was drafted, the Chicago Bears immediately thought that they had found their center of the future. Cody Whitehair is back to center and the Bears have two natural starters. Then, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy came out to say that Daniels was going to move to guard to start his career.
Now, we are hearing that the starting guard position is not necessarily handed to Daniels yet either. Eric Kush has looked healthy and has looked comfortable with new offensive line coach Harry Hiestand. Early reports this summer are that Kush is ready to give Daniels everything he has to offer.
It is a good thing to hear that Daniels is going to be pushed in camp. You do not want to hear that your second-round rookie is being handed things early into his career. With that said, do not take much from this camp competition. The two will compete. Heck, Kush might come in as the starter and the better proposition. However, something tells me that as summer goes on, the upside f Daniels will start to shine through. With the extra preseason game, he should get enough snaps to entice the Chicago Bears into making him a day one starter.
Left Outside Linebacker
Leonard Floyd is set to be healthy for training camp. With that said, he should see the vast majority of the snaps at right outside linebacker. Across from him? Who the heck knows?
Last season, it was mainly Sam Acho. However, we know what we have in Acho. He is a rotational player. A fine depth piece. If the crap hits the fan, he can give you a few starts. Still, that does not mean you jump into week one with Acho at the helm.
The team signed Aaron Lynch. He likely has the most name value of the group so far. However, with that comes baggage of injuries and effort questions. There is a reason he came so cheap to Chicago. Still, Vic Fangio drafted Lynch and seems to have faith in him.
After Lynch is a cast of questionable names. First Kasim Edebali. Edebali has been a rotational piece for the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints. There is some rotational talent there, but he is looking to make the roster on the back end.
Lastly is sixth-round pick Kylie Fitts, and UDFA Isaiah Irving. Fitts has upside and elite athleticism. However, he has injury questions as well and has issues with lateral movement and finishing sacks. Irving is not a high upside athlete, but a player who wins with strong technique. Still, after his only start as a rookie, he landed on the IR.
This position is a bit of a mess. The likely answer is that every name will a chance to make noise. However, the upside bets are Lynch and Fitts. Lynch can hold it down early into the season and hopefully guide Fitts into taking over this job for the future.
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.