Everyone is talking about D.J. Moore and Justin Fields and their connection. The Chicago Bears' top ten pick is getting picked apart on every snap, and there is always the question about the pass rush. Still, the NFL is a team sport because the teams are so deep.
Who are some of the players that are in deeper positions battles but the Chicago Bears could see making an impact, or at least making the Bears roster?
5. Does Josh Blackwell have a roster spot locked down with the Chicago Bears?
This is a deep cut, but it could be worth following. Josh Blackwell made the Bears roster last year after the Philadelphia Eagles waived him as a rookie UDFA. He was thrown into the fire at times during his rookie season because the team did not have the depth. He also became a special teams asset for the Bears.
Now, he enters his second year, and the depth chart is tougher to navigate. However, he does have a trump card, which is his ability in the slot. When you look at the Chicago Bears roster, they have Kyler Gordon and Josh Blackwell as slot options, and it gets really thin from there. So, you could make the case that Blackwell has a pretty clear path to the roster. Can he continue to cement his status, and does he have the edge over some of the players on the outside, not names Tyrique Stevenson or Jaylon Johnson?
4. How do the Chicago Bears seventh round rookie look?
The Chicago Bears drafted two seventh-round rookies this year. While they have the draft pick commitment, neither of them are locks for the roster. For Travis Bell, he is behind Justin Jones, Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter, and Zacch Pickens.
He needs to convince the Bears to keep a fifth interior lineman, and at that point, he is competing with other positions for the 53rd spot. Can he show anything on special teams?
Then, there is Kendall Williamson. He may have an easier path to the roster than Bell because of special teams. However, he has as much competition around him as Bell has in front of him. A.J. Thomas was a UDFA last year, but he can make a claim for the roster this summer. He made it on the roster late last year after spending most of the year on the practice squad. Still, he did spend the full season in Chicago, and this is now year two.
Then, there is Adrian Colbert, who has made plenty of rosters in his NFL career. Colbert is entering his seventh NFL season, and he also spent the final weeks of the season on the Chicago Bears roster. So, these are not the scariest names for a rookie to face, but he is a seventh-round pick, and they are experienced players, so this is not a cakewalk for the rookie. Both rookies should be watched closely this summer.
3. Is DeMarquis Gates poised to make the Chicago Bears roster?
If you remember back to last summer, one of the best players in the second half of every game was DeMarquis Gates. Gates dominated during the XFL and was working with Jack Sanborn as depth linebacker in training camp.
That led to them both making a name for themselves last season. Sanborn made the roster, and Gates got himself onto the practice squad. Like most players, he got his chances late in the lost season and now has a chance to make the roster in 2023.
An underrated development was Sterling Weatherford being released. He made the roster last year and may have been a sixth linebacker this year. With him out of the way, a sixth spot is open, and the team definitely might keep six. Even the fifth spot is owned by Dylan Cole, who had been missing time and was signed from Tennessee this year, so he is not as familiar with the defense as Gates.
Still, Cole can play special teams well, and that is what is going to get him onto the roster. Gates needs to show that he can hang with Cole, and push him. At the least, if he can make plays on special teams, it pushes someone like Travis Bell, the defensive tackle, or some other position for a last spot.
2. Will Velus Jones win the punt return job?
A small note from training camp has been that Dante Pettis has not practiced. Most fans are excited because Pettis did not play well last season, and he is now going to have an uphill climb to make the roster. Still, the reason that he is on the roster, and the reason he may still make it, is because of punt returns.
He won the job over Velus Jones last year and never gave it up. If he comes back, he may still be that guy. However, with him out, Velus Jones has gotten considerable work. Special teams coach Richard Hightower has noted that Jones has put an emphasis on tracing the football and catching it better out of the air this year.
If Jones can win the punt return job, Dante Pettis has no shot, and it locks him into a roster spot. If someone like Tyler Scott wins the job over Jones, they can find a kick return option and may just cut Pettis and Jones altogether. Jones has to show a bit as a receiver, but if he locks down both return spots, he guarantees a roster spot.
1. Where is Dieter Eiselen in the Chicago Bears rotations?
Dieter Eiselen is not a name that many are looking at, but his role will be interesting. He was a UDFA in the Ryan Pace era, and he played guard primarily. However, in the Ryan Poles era, they have been transitioning him to center. However, if you look at the Bears roster right now, his best path may be guard.
Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick are getting the work at center with the first and second teams. Then, there is even Doug Kramer, who is a primary center. Eiselen may be ahead of Kramer because he can play center but has just as much experience at guard.
When looking at the guard depth, you see Ja'Tyre Carter, and then we start to look at UDFAs or players who have been around the NFL and are probably just here for reps in training camp.
Eiselen could possibly beat out Carter, but if Carter is on the right side, the backup left guard spot has to be his. Backup left guard and third-string center is going to get him on the roster. That is worth watching.