Injuries during training camp are expected to happen, but Chicago Bears fans know all too well that having them entering camp is worse.
The Bears have six players who will not start training camp on the field with injuries, but they are not the only ones. One of their biggest rivals in the NFC North, the Detroit Lions, is also dealing with injuries of their own. The Lions placed three players on the Physically Unable to Perform list.
- Brian Branch, DB
- Tyler Conklin, TE
- Kerby Joseph, DB
Detroit dealing with similar headaches to Bears entering training camp
This is bad news for the Lions, as Branch and Joseph are two of their starters in the secondary, so they are behind the eight-ball already. Detroit already had to release cornerback Terrion Arnold, so that's three starters gone in the last month entering camp.
Chicago has their own secondary woes to deal with. Starting slot cornerback Kyler Gordon is still not 100% and won't be practicing at the start of training camp. Bears head coach Ben Johnson has already expressed concerns with Gordon, so it's not a good look for him.
Last season, Gordon played in only three games with the Bears as he dealt with a soft-tissue injury. That injury has not improved, as he missed all of OTAs.
Neither team can afford to take a hit in the secondary since the NFC North looks like it'll be a gauntlet to run through this season. The Green Bay Packers are always competitive, and the Vikings upgraded at quarterback, so they could end up being better.
If Branch and Joseph are going to be out a while, it might end up being the best shot the Bears have at making a run in the division. The Lions already have the easiest schedule in the NFL entering the season, while the Bears have the toughest. While no one should ever cheer for injuries, the Bears have a major advantage over the Lions because their secondary is healthier than Detroit's.
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No one believes this is going to be an easy season for the Bears, so anything they can have to get a leg up on the competition has to be taken advantage of. This might be Chicago's shot to take the division away from the Lions and keep the crown.
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