One of the biggest issues lingering over the past few weeks, affecting all teams and not just the Chicago Bears, was the fact that so many second-round picks had not yet signed their rookie deals.
Now, after some fast-falling dominos, the Bears have signed all three of theirs in wide receiver Luther Burden III, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. With those deals being official, they can all participate in training camp and, unfortunately for two veterans, it means a couple of jobs could very soon be taken.
Between the likes of Burden and Trapilo, the Bears have a couple of budding starters waiting to take over jobs, and more than likely, in a hurry.
Olamide Zaccheaus and Braxton Jones are about to lose their starting jobs in training camp
We have already talked briefly about Olamide Zaccheaus and how Burden's arrival will ultimately lead to the veteran losing his starting job, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. Zaccheaus likely gets the initial nod to start simply out of respect since he is, after all, the veteran.
But, it will not take long for Burden to unseat Zaccheaus as the Bears' third starting wide receiver. We know, by now, that Burden was long talked about as a first-round talent. Ultimately, though, he dropped to the second and Chicago got a steal who will offer an explosive aspect to this offense.
Meanwhile, the Bears' starting left tackle job appears up for grabs. Like Zaccheaus, it'll be Braxton Jones perceivably getting the nod as the Bears' starter on the left side. But, it will not last long, as Trapilo has already looked the part in offseason activites and early practices.
Trapilo is also the very first offensive lineman to be hand-picked by head coach Ben Johnson in Chicago. That cannot be overstated and should certainly count for something.
The Bears' inability to lock down a true long-term solution at left tackle will hopefully come to an end if Trapilo snags this job, as many expect him to. Jones was fine, for the time being, but he didn't present any "wow" moments on tape that made him worthy of committing to.
When training camp gets into the early goings here, soon, do not be surprised to see both Burden and Trapilo getting plenty of work with the starters -- and also don't be surprised if that doesn't change.