Bear Digest

Backup's signing ensures one of toughest Bears camp battles

Count Doug Kramer among the players who weren't really given a chance by the Matt Eberflus regime to show what they can really do but he's back on a one-year deal.
Gene Chamberlain|
When the Bears return for training camp the backup center spot might be the most hotly contested that they have.
When the Bears return for training camp the backup center spot might be the most hotly contested that they have. | Jerry Lai-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Doug Kramer has returned to the Bears by signing a one-year deal after he wasn't tendered a restricted free agent offer.

This is Doug Kramer the backup center and most likely not the goal-line fullback, although you never know.

The return of Kramer sets up what could be one of the most hotly contested roster battles the Bears have this training camp, a year after Kramer only seemed to get reps as a backup guard in an emergency situation or block or even carry the ball at the goal line.

Kramer blocked well. He didn't carry the ball so well but he shouldn't have been carrying it. He also didn't report his jersey to officials well, as a costly penalty for this showed.

Kramer hasn't really had much of a chance to show he can be the center they drafted him to be in the sixth round in 2022. He missed his rookie year due to injury, then wasn't even with the team part of the 2023 season.

He was plucked off their practice squad by the Cardinals, then was cut and returned to the Bears practice squad. He stayed on the Cardinals roster only about a week and returned to the Bears practice squad.

Center is frequently a position where players need several years in the league to step forward, and it could be his time to make a bid but the addition of Drew Dalman in free agency ensures it could only be for a roster spot and not as a starter.

The Bears are finally beyond the point where they just grab anyone available and try to make them into a center.

Let the battle begin

Now, the former Illinois player returns to battle with Ryan Bates and Rick Stromberg at backup center.

Stromberg recently could be seen on Twitter getting himself into playing shape. He was a third-round pick by the Commanders in 2023, regarded highly and with a proven college track record at Arkanasas. He's a bit bigger than some of the center candidates the Bears have had recently, at 313 pounds.

Bates, meanwhile, is a bit of a surprise as a member of the team still because they could have cut him and saved about $3.5 million in cap space, although they would eat half a million in dead cap.

There was something GM Ryan Poles saw in Bates to want him enough to trade a fourth-round pick to get him, and also to try and sign him in another season as a Buffalo restricted free agent.

The edge Bates has in this race is his guard experience.

He played just 203 snaps at center in the NFL but has 1,162 snaps at guard, including 941 at right guard. He even has played snaps at both tackle positions, 95 at left tackle and 29 at right tackle, and 50 as an extra tight end.

There were those who may have wondered why GM Ryan Poles kept Bates but that kind of versatility is very difficult to come by and on game day when possibly only eight offensive linemen dress, the backups who can do more are the most valuable.

It's going to be tough for Kramer or Stromberg to dislodge Bates, if he's healthy. Last year that wasn't the case as he only played in three games because of a shoulder injury and concussion. The shoulder situation was so bad he needed stem cell therapy in Panama City to repair it but apparently he's fine.

Kramer doesn't have any sort of experience edge, but he does have 56 plays at left guard 14 at center and sometimes blocked as a fullback or carried the ball for a fumble. Stromberg hasn't played a snap in the NFL yet and really hasn't had game experience playing guard.

All of that counts for something in what can be one of the best roster battles—particularly if either Stromberg or Kramer makes a big step up.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.