There are a lot of position battles that are starting to heat up with two weeks left in training camp for the Chicago Bears.
The left tackle battle saw some changes, with Theo Benedet getting involved and Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills Jr. moving to the right side. While that one will be intense, others are too, and no one has any idea how they'll go.
Arguably, the one position battle at training camp that is leaving everyone confused on how it will turn out is in the secondary. Really, so many position battles have emerged in the secondary since injuries have swarmed it. This raises the question of who is leading these battles right now.
What Bears fans need to know about secondary position battles at training camp
CBS Chicago sports reporter Matt Zahn shared observations from Bears training camp on his X account. One of Zahn's posts describes what the secondary looked like in terms of the lineup.
"Josh Blackwell has been working with the #1 defense at cornerback today with Tyrique Stevenson not out here," Zahn said. "Malik Muhammad at nickel. Cam Lewis and Xavier Woods seem to be splitting reps at safety."
Bears fans sure hope Blackwell doesn't stay on the outside very long with Stevenson hurt. Throughout the 34-10 preseason win over the Cleveland Browns, Blackwell struggled on the outside, allowing multiple completions. While he is a great special teams ace, Chicago needs to keep him off the field.
Muhammad is a different story at nickel. He showed his physicality throughout the preseason, and he showed promise to step up. Kyler Gordon is still out with his soft-tissue injury, and no timeline has been revealed for when he could be back on the field.
Safety will take time, since the Bears need to find a proper replacement for Coby Bryant after his devastating injury. Woods has gotten off to a good start in his first week-plus of work on the team. Lewis is familiar with the defense now and seems to be doing well in training camp.
After all the injuries that the secondary has taken, there is reason to proceed with cautious optimism for the next three to four weeks before the regular season starts. Blackwell is the main concern right now, but everyone else seems to be stepping up, and Stevenson should be ready for Week 1.
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There will always be a bit of nervousness with this secondary, but the unit is playing well enough that it might be able to hold its own during the regular season. Hopefully, Bryant will find his way back on the field by the end of the season when the Super Bowl chase begins.
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