How would you rank the Chicago Bears 90-man roster heading into training camp?
Ranking 90-86 85-81 80-76 75-71 70-66 65-61 60-56 55-50
50-46 45-41 40-36 35-31 30-26 25-21
20. Taylor Gabriel
Taylor Gabriel gets the slight edge over Anthony Miller heading to training camp. As mentioned, it is mainly due to the fact that Gabriel has proven that he can get deep and work with the ball in his hands. He can work in and out of the slot.
Anthony Miller projects similarly and should be a more well rounded overall receiver. However, at the moment Gabriel has shown more to that. The Chicago Bears traded a future second round pick for Miller, but gave Gabriel $24 million
Still, there are definitely questions with what exactly can be had from Gabriel. Most his success has been getting his schemed open. His best seasons in Cleveland and Atlanta came with Kyle Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. Does Matt Nagy have the same magic?
One way in which Nagy can utilize Gabriel is to put him on the outside and send him deep. He is the best true deep receiver on the team, Tarik Cohen aside.
If Gabriel can start to catch a few deep passes, he will demand respect that can open the entire offense. Trey Burton and Anthony Miller are going to soak up a lot of the quick passing and a lot could be opened up if Gabriel can prove to be that deep threat. This could present value that is certainly of a top 20 player.
19. James Daniels
James Daniels was the first of the Chicago Bears two second round picks in 2018. Daniels played center at Iowa, but the Chicago Bears currently have him slated to play guard.
It is due to athleticism. Daniels is a player who can get out into space and move. His ability to get into the second level so quickly at the center position is rare.
The idea is that it is much easier to pull across the line of scrimmage or out into space without having to snap the football beforehand. This could really play to the benefit of James Daniels. His athleticism is elite, and with Kyle Long, the Bears would have two guards who can do a lot of dynamic movement that most teams are not prepared for.
However, Daniels will have to earn his ranking in this top twenty, and will have to beat out Eric Kush for a starting spot. One issue surrounding Daniels is his overall playing strength. He is not the best anchor player, and as shown in his athletic profile, strength is truly the only flaw.
Kush is a strong presence of a player and will push Daniels to earn starting reps. Still, look at the rest of that profile. Daniels has the chance to be special and understands the game well. He should be able to hold off Kush and be a valuable starter as a rookie.
18. Trey Burton
The Chicago Bears gave Trey Burton $32 million over four seasons despite being a third tight end for most of his career. Matt Nagy stressed the need for Burton. He has mentioned the big plans for him as the “U” tight end. Burton is going to have a huge role in this offense.
Still, while many fantasy prognosticators are buying into Burton, there is a reason for some pause. Burton has a usage, but a lot of it comes pre-snap. He is a mismatch identifier.
Mitchell Trubisky is able to motion him into any skill player spot. He has that type of talent. However, that is just a good way for Trubisky to potentially understand that he has a better matchup elsewhere. His motion also may clear space to one side of the field or another.
This is a major value. It is going to earn him his money. It is not going to make him an elite tight end. Of course, he does have that upside. The question is whether or not he can hit it, and whether or not the Bears are ready to explore it next season.
17. Charles Leno
Some are going to be up in arms thinking that this is too high for this type of player. The fact of the matter is that when you look at the money, the ranking should be about right. We mentioned Burton signing a four-year, $32 million deal this offseason.
Last offseason Charles Leno signed a four-year, $37 million deal. The team values Leno more than Burton.
It is deserved too. He is a seventh round pick turned multiple year starter. He is a bang for the Chicago Bears buck when looking at the overall landscape of the offensive lineman market and the production in which Leno is providing.
So yes, maybe he is just an average starter. Still, he is ranked ahead of Burton, who has spent his career as a backup, a second round rookie and a wide receiver who typically will need to be schemed open.
He brings a strong value to the Chicago Bears and may end up being under ranked on this list by the end of it.
16. Bryce Callahan
Bryce Callahan is another UDFA find for Ryan Pace who has stuck around the roster much longer than expected. Callahan was thrust into the slot and has thirved in that position since.
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This summer he was in an open competition with Cre’Von LeBlanc and he beat him out for the starting spot. From there, he was rated the number 31 overall cornerback by PFF, an above average rating.
As far as slot cornerbacks go, he was one of the best rated in coverage.
Bryce Callahan's slot coverage statistics in 2017 👀 pic.twitter.com/LT1O0JArhM
— PFF (@PFF) February 21, 2018
Callahan had a sack and a forced fumble last season and completes what now can be looked at as a complete starting cornerback group.
Callahan is an above average starter at his position. It is arguable as to whether or not that is true with Leno. Still, it was just one big season and the Chicago Bears only gave him a one-year contract this offseason. It will be interesting to see if they go back to the tables at training camp or if that is really how the Bears feel about him.