Looking ahead to some position battles sure to intrigue fans at Chicago Bears training camp, there is one battle that will definitely have more to it than it did a year ago.
At the fourth running back spot, the Bears are looking at veteran Travis Homer and the youngster, Ian Wheeler, coming back from an ACL injury last year. At the moment, I would venture to guess Homer will be the odd man out.
Of course anything could happen, but Homer offers the Bears little to nothing above the ordinary at this point.
Travis Homer could be sent packing at Bears training camp
Look at the fact that, first and foremost, Homer was one of Shane Waldron's guys. With Waldron long gone, Homer is not guaranteed a roster spot.
He is of little value on both the ground or in the passing game, quite frankly. He has carried some special teams value in the past, but at this stage in his career, Homer is quite replaceable.
The most pressing candidate to take his spot has to be Wheeler, who became a Hard Knocks darling last summer. Fans fell in love with Wheeler's story and game. Once he started to shine in the preseason a bit, everything came crashing down.
His torn ACL was one of the hardest moments to watch on last year's HBO series.
Now, having returned and looking to regain form, his story can continue. But if his story continues to ascend, that means Homer's career will take a turn for the worse. Homer is going into Year 7, even though he is still 26 years old.
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Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Wheeler showed some real burst last preseason and looked every bit of a candidate to take one of the final roster spots. With a strong training camp, it would not be a surprise to see Wheeler take over that final running back role and see the Bears cut ties with a Waldron favorite.