3 Chicago Bears players who improved their chances of starting in 2023

Earlier in the offseason we noted that there may be three starting jobs up for grabs on the Chicago Bears roster. So, while one preseason game is a small point of data, we did see a trend for some of the starting spots.

Who are the players taking control of the starting positions in these training camp battles?

3. The Chicago Bears will lean on Khalil Herbert early in the season

One question that was asked before the start of the season was which Chicago Bears running back would be the leader of the group? The Bears lost their top dog in David Montgomery but added Roschon Johnson via the draft and D'onta Foreman via free agency.

They also have Khalil Herbert, who was on the roster last season but only cut into the workload of Montgomery a bit. However, after the first preseason game, it is pretty clear that he is the favorite to lead the Chicago Bears this season.

The starters played seven snaps, and Herbert was on the field for all seven. Johnson and Foreman did not play until later in the game. An even bigger note is that Herbert not only played on third down, he caught a pass and turned it into a touchdown. You could not beat the day that he had.

This is signficant because Herbert was not used much on pass catching downs. He was a bit clunky catching the football, and he struggled in pass protection. Getting him out there on third down and long, an obvious pass down, shows that the team has calmed down on some of the concerns.

If that is the case, and Herbert gets a full workload, the debate may be over before it starts. Still, Johnson is ascending, and Foreman is in the mix.