Offseason battles Chicago Bears fans should keep an eye on

These spots on the defensive side of the ball are open for the Chicago Bears

When we look at the defensive side of the ball, we already talked about many spots being locked in. Most of the secondary is locked into place and two of the four defensive line spots are locked up. I didn’t mention the linebacker positions because we don’t know for sure which position Roquan Smith and Nicholas Morrow are playing, but we know those are the two starters. Therefore, it’s not much of a “battle” and early reports are Morrow will play the middle and Smith the weak-side spot.

Here are a couple positions that are still open and battles seem to have started:

Nickel Corner

The nickel corner spot has yet to be determined it seems. The Chicago Bears went out and signed Tavon Young to be the starting nickel this offseason. He has proved to be a solid nickel corner when he played in Baltimore despite missing most of the 2021 season due to injury. When healthy is the key phrase that is tied to Young now.

The good news for the Bears is he is healthy and the backup option is pushing him for reps. That’s right, Thomas Graham has been playing in the nickel spot during OTAs and reports are he’s making a case for himself.

Defensive End

This is an interesting battle to keep an eye on as well. With Robert Quinn locked into the right end spot, Trevis Gipson and Al-Quadin Muhammad are going to have to battle it out for the left end spot. Now, no matter who wins this starting spot, just realize that in Matt Eberflus’ system, the defensive line will rotate quite often. Even Robert Quinn will only see 50 to 60 percent of the snaps. Therefore, we will see plenty of Gipson and Muhammad on the field.

Is this the most important injury update of the Chicago Bears offseason?

The Chicago Bears are looking to rebuild the offensive line. One important note is that second-year right tackle, Teven Jenkins is fully healthy.

Defensive Tackle

Finally, we all know that Justin Jones is going to be the starting 3-technique in this defense. However, the nose tackle position is still up for grabs. Will it be Angelo Blackson, Khyiris Tonga or maybe LaCale London? This position doesn’t get much love, but we should expect to see two of these three lockdown the rotation at this position and therefore it’s a battle to watch.