Fighting for Their Football Lives
In this story:
There are starting battles every training camp. Job battles can be far more intense, than starting battles.
The players fighting for jobs are at the bottom of a roster attempting to remain employed. The talent might not be as great but the competition they generate at camp and in preseason is probably more fierce.
After all, the majority of those starting have their positions locked up before camp even begins. Coaches will say otherwise but it's already decided unless a starter totally fouls it up or get injured.
The players on special teams, those on the fringe of the roster as backups, are facing the tougher fights to avoid waivers.
It's interesting, because the roster cutdown will be always be a numbers game and there are players elsewhere on a roster who can help a player earn a roster spot. They could even be on opposite sides of the ball. Often, it's a matter of special teams.
For instance, if the Bears found that Josh Blackwell could field and return punts, or that rookie receiver Tyler Scott can do it, or even that kick returner Velus Jones Jr. could now field punts better than last year's disaster, it could mean Dante Pettis' job would be in even greater jeopardy even though none of those players would be taking it away in direct competition at receiver. Or if the Bears keep three quarterbacks to take advantage of the new third-quarterback rule on game days, they could take away one of the jobs players at other positions could have.
The Bears kept only six wide receivers on the opening day 53-man roster last year and Pettis might rank No. 7 right now.
Here are the players fighting for jobs and remember the one code always holding true for players at that end of the roster: The more you can do the more valuable you are.
Quarterback
SI.com has listed PJ Walker as the 10th best NFL backup quarterback because of his style similarity to Justin Fields, but after that it's either Nathan Peterman or Division II phenom Tyson Bagent. Peterman's asset is he knows the offense well from last year. Bagent is not extremely mobile and lacks a cannon arm, but does have sense when to get rid of it and can move a little before throwing.
The Call: Neither one makes it. It's possible Bagent and Peterman go to the practice squad together. With two there, they have one in case the other is taken by another team. They will likely take their chances with one backup on the 53-man despite the new rule allowing for a third QB who is inactive on game day except for emergencies. The rule doesn't allow for QBs who are simply elevated from the practice squad for the week to do this. They must be on the roster.
Running Back
The Bears kept only three besides fullback Khari Blasingame last year. If you believe they'll keep four this year, then it comes down to a battle between Travis Homer and Trestan Ebner for the last spot behind Khalil Herbert, D'onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson. Both Homer and Ebner are special teams contributors. Homer has shown he can contribute in the passing game but has only made 52 catches in four seasons, so he's hardly a lock for the roster even if he was one of the free agents who received that rare two-year contract from GM Ryan Poles to sign. Ebner is a kick returner and so, too, has been Homer, who has averaged 24.7 yards a return. Neither return punts. Homer is injured right now and not practicing in OTAs. The team doesn't make a habit of addressing OTA injuries so whether he is ready for camp isn't known, but it didn't appear serious. He was rehabbing on the stationary bikes during practice, a usual sign of soft tissue injuries. Ebner was touted as a back who could contribute as a receiver but no one saw it last year. He didn't run well, either. So it's up to Ebner to make a statement and show a sixth-round draft pick deserves to stay in Chicago more than a free agent who wasn't brought back by Seattle.
The Call: Skills not apparent in Ebner's rookie year now become more obvious in preseason and he takes it. However, neither Ebner nor Homer might make it if Roschon Johnson plays from the outset better than most rookies do. Johnson could emerge as an all-round type back immediately and take reps from every back, along with a need for one of the other backup running backs.
Offensive Line
This doesn't break down into tackle, center and guard because some of the players vying for the final spots play multiple positions. It's what gives them a chance.
Larry Borom and Lucas Patrick are the backups who cover up every offensive line position. They retained nine on the roster last year. Based on those numbers, figure Doug Kramer, Alex Leatherwood, Ja'Tyre Carter, Dieter Eiselen and Kellen Diesch might be fighting for two spots. Leatherwood has a contract running through 2024 and has the benefit of $1.97 million for a 2023 cap cost and $2.68 million for 2024. It's a benefit for him because if the Bears want to cut him this year they're dining on $4.6 million in dead cap for 2023. Leatherwood can play both tackle and guard, but he was learning tackle last year. He was a guard when the Raiders waived him. His first-round status means nothing now, other than it's the reason he has a favorable contract situation.
Carter, a seventh-round pick last year, is only a guard. He played tackle in college, but hasn't with the Bears. They've been mixing him in with starters at OTAs with Nate Davis away from practices. They have to find out what Carter can do because they have other options available. Eiselen has been around as a practice squad player for three seasons and finally got into games for 99 plays last year, 63 on offense and the others on special teams. He can play center or guard but and has an edge over both Carter and Kramer in this respect, so it wouldn't be unusual if the Bears looked at Kramer playing some guard at camp so they would know he has the same type of versatility. Diesch is a lanky, undrafted tackle who they signed last season. He'd have the jump on a few of the undrafted linemen they signed this year and was playing with the rookie camp first team in a rotation with Bobby Haskins at left tackle, but was the first one on the field at the position.
The Call: They need experience and athleticism and they'll get this along with draft and SEC (Alabama) pedigree from Leatherwood, who started every game in 2021 for the Raiders. In the final spot, figure Kramer over Carter. They have sufficient guards on the roster. Patrick plays there and Borom can, too, and did last year with marginal success. If Kramer is a center, they could make him into a guard, too. There's always the chance they could move Cody Whitehair back to guard, if necessary. So unless Carter shows out as someone special in offseason and camp, expect Leatherwood and Kramer winning the last two spots.
Wide Receiver
Last year it was six receivers on the roster until later after some injuries healed. The first three obviously are DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, with Jones and Scott at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. They sought out Equanimeous St. Brown for another year on his contract at the end of last season, so assume they want him around as No. 5 or 6. Don't count on six, though. Seven is more likely unless they were to bend to the new third-quarterback rules and keep three quarterbacks on the roster. Is Pettis the seventh? As punt returner it only figures he would be last man at the position. But if they find another punt returner on the roster or even on waivers, his stay could wind up being short.
The Call: Give the last receiver spot to Pettis over Nsimba Webster, who also can return. It's an easy call unless they bring in another punt returner/wide receiver. Then Pettis would have a real challenge on his hands.
Defensive Tackle
There is no defensive end roster battle at the moment as the top four are Dominique Robinson, Trevis Gipson, DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green. They kept five last year and that might mean a player like undrafted Jalen Harris would have a shot but they can't possibly think they'll get by without signing one of the available free agents, or making a trade for someone. Either way, we're not projecting trades and if they brought in another player it would merely bump Dominique Robinson or Trevis Gipson down to game day inactives each week.
The real line situation as it stands now is a battle between the three rookies: Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Travis Bell to see who are the third and fourth defensive tackles behind Justin Jones and Andrew Billings.
The Call: They're not cutting the second-rounders, so it's up to Bell, the seventh-rounder, to prove they can't afford to leave him exposed to other teams signing him off of their practice squad. That's probably too much for a player from Kennesaw State to accomplish. He could be getting seasoning on the practice squad and the Bears would need to protect him as well as they can if they like him. He's not really competing with anyone, just trying to prove he belongs as a backup nose. Considering he is more of an actual nose tackle than Dexter or Pickens, it's possible they would see it important to keep five defensive tackles. Any undrafted defensive linemen on the interior figure in only as practice squad types.
Linebacker
Dylan Cole is getting the first-team strongside linebacker reps at OTAs with Jack Sanborn out recovering from last year's ankle injury. Cole is No. 4 and last year the Bears kept five. This included Sterling Weatherford, a lanky linebacker built like the kind of players Matt Eberflus likes at this position. However, he's had a chance to prove himself and really hasn't done much more than special teams. Now they have Noah Sewell as a possible fourth or fifth linebacker if not a third. They also have DeMarquis Gates as a sixth or seventh.
The Call: The backups to Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards and Sanborn will be fifth-rounder Sewell, Cole and Weatherford. They'll keep six. This is a 4-3 defense and they need more than a 3-4 defense requires, which doesn't make sense except that a 3-4 is really a 5-2 defense and people don't call it this.
Cornerback
They kept six last year and the real roster battle comes down to fifth-round rookie Terell Smith, 2022 starter Kindle Vildor and Jaylon Jones for two spots. That is, assuming Vildor can't keep his starting spot over second-round rookie Tyrique Stevenson. Josh Blackwell gets a freebie because he is a slot cornerback and they need a backup to starter Kyler Gordon. Jones really made a statement last year for an undrafted player, and coming from the SEC (Mississippi) adds a competitive level on his side that other players might lack.
The Call: The Bears keep Jones over Vildor for the last roster spot. On the field for 46% of defensive snaps last year, Jones put together a passer rating against of 97.3 while Vildor's best is 110.1 in three seasons. Smith, as a fifth-rounder, will fit right into the mix with Jones and Blackwell.
Safety
The Bears went with five last year and both Dane Cruikshank and DeAndre Houston-Carson are no longer part of the scene. Drafting physical, athletic Kendall Williamson to add with Elijah Hicks gives them two young seventh-rounders behind Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson. The fifth spot comes down to either A.J. Thomas, Adrian Colbert or undrafted rookies Bralen Trahan and Macon Clark. None of these are ideal choices, but at least Thomas and Colbert went through last year at Halas Hall. Thomas came up for five games and Colbert has real NFL experience with six teams since coming into the league in 2017.
The Call: Thomas gets it. However, this is a depth position they could easily fill with an unsigned free agent or even by adding Houston-Carson back to the roster. While both Colbert and Thomas are strong safeties and are good size at 6-foot-2, Thomas is 214 pounds. That size isn't something other Bears safeties have. The former Western Michigan player could be an asset in short-yardage or goal line. Go with Thomas on this one but keep an eye on the waiver wire.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
