There will be plenty of intrigue going into the Chicago Bears' 2025 training camp, with position battles happening all over the roster, with new head coach Ben Johnson looking for the perfect lineup.
Some of the big ones for starting jobs include outside linebacker, tight end, and left tackle. These will be the ones that attract the most attention from the media. What about the backup jobs?
That outside linebacker position could have the most fascinating position battle at backup, as there is essentially one spot open with two players competing for it.
Who will earn the final 53-man roster spot at outside linebacker?
Looking at the linebackers, Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards are the clear-cut starters. Rookie Ruben Hyppolite II and Noah Sewell appear to be fighting for the third and final starting spot at SAM linebacker.
Amen Ogbongbemiga and Power Echols will have their own battle for the backup middle linebacker job. The one that could potentially be the literal 53-man spot is between Carl Jones Jr. and Swayze Bozeman.
Jones went undrafted in last year's draft and was signed by the Bears, where he spent all but one game on the practice squad. His one appearance last year was 12 snaps on special teams.
Bozeman was also an undrafted free agent last year as he played for the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in just three games and made three tackles with 57 snaps on special teams and seven on defense. The Bears signed Bozeman during the offseason.
There are some questions about who can earn that final outside linebacker spot. Jones has more experience with the franchise, but Bozeman got more playing time last year.
It'll be a toss-up in training camp between Jones and Bozeman on who will make the final roster. The media has had concerns over the Bears' lack of depth at linebacker and needs one of these players to step up.
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Jones and Bozeman will have to hope that Chicago doesn't bring in outside help via trade or free agency, or that could be the end of their time on the active roster, at least.