6 Key Position Battles For the Chicago Bears Heading Into Minicamp

There are a handful of battles that will be decided in the preseason for the Chicago Bears. Some players are fighting for their roster spot, while others are vying for a starting job.

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) takes the field prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Barring a late-offseason splash via the trade market, the Chicago Bears' roster is pretty much set for the 2026 NFL season at this point. While the roles of some players obviously won't be challenged, others will have to fight for their spot. The Bears accomplished their goal of adding competition to their roster through free agency and the draft.

Their approach to the draft hinted at their confidence in their current left tackle and edge rusher rooms. Conversely, it also put a few players on the hot seat. However, pressure can occasionally build diamonds, and the veterans still might have a chance to win a job outright if they can outplay the rookies early on.

Which hotly contested position battles should fans keep tabs on?

Starting left tackle job

Dec 31, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears offensive lineman Braxton Jones (70) blocks against the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Braxton Jones is a lucky man. Despite there being a ton of smoke around them potentially drafting a left tackle in the first round, they opted to address their glaring weakness at safety by landing one of the best first-round values in Oregon's Dillon Thieneman.

However, his starting job is far from set in stone. He'll be batting with free agent acquisition Jedrick Wills, a former first-round pick who developed into a solid starter for the Browns before injuries took a toll, and Theo Benedet for starting reps. Whoever wins the job will surely be benched if Ozzy Trapilo, who showed a massive amount of promise before rupturing his patellar tendon last season, is somehow ready to return (which still wouldn't be before midseason) earlier than expected. He'll be the starter whenever he's healthy enough to return to the lineup.

Defensive tackle

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. (99) takes the field prior to a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Gervon Dexter is also a lucky man. The Bears missed out on the lucrative second-round defensive tackle run, and they didn't address their massive weakness on the interior until landing Georgia Tech's Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round. While JVDB is an athletic freak, he probably won't threaten Dexter's status early on (while it's certainly possible, that would be shocking). However, the Georgia Tech product will be attempting to push one of the veteran acquisitions, Kentavius Street and Jordan Lynch, off the roster. That will be an interesting situation to monitor, as they will probably deploy a rotation featuring virtually all the DTs at their disposal on gameday.

Meanwhile, Neville Gallimore, whom the team signed to a two-year, $10 million deal this offseason, is guaranteed to have a role. If Dexter doesn't show up ready to play in the final year of his rookie contract, then Gallimore could heavily eat into his playing time. Grady Jarrett is really the only one on the interior with a guaranteed role on early downs.

Number two cornerback spot

Sep 14, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) carries the ball defended by Chicago Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (29) during the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

Tyrique Stevenson's job is not safe. I was a bit surprised when they opted not to re-sign Nahshon Wright at the price point that he signed for with the Jets, but the move made more sense when they selected University of Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round. They've been preaching that they want to increase their speed on the defensive side of the ball, and Muhammad, who ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, certainly reinforces that decree.

We've been on record in saying that we love the addition of Muhammad to the cornerback room. With that said, he's not the only one who hopes to stamp his name on the second cornerback job. Terell Smith, who, like Stevenson, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, has shown promise whenever he's gotten on the field. Zah Frazier, whom the team selected in the fifth round last year, also hopes to make his mark after being on the shelf during his rookie year. This is easily one of the most interesting battles to keep an eye on.

Long snapper

Nov 25, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as UCLA Bruins long snapper Beau Gardner (60) snaps the ball against the California Golden Bears at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The winner of this one might not make the front page of the Chicago Tribune, but it still should be one of the closest battles to keep an eye on. The team opted not to re-sign Scott Daly in the offseason. That leaves Luke Elkin, who impressed coaches enough last preseason to earn a futures contract after the season ended, and undrafted rookie Beau Gardner, who won the Patrick Mannelly Award as college football's top long snapper last season, to battle it out for the starting job.

I don't know about you, but my money is on whoever wins. (I'm not going to sit here and pretend like I know what separates a good long snapper from a bad one).

The entire linebacker group

Dec 14, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears linebacker D'Marco Jackson (48) sacks Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

After free agent addition Devin Bush, the linebacker depth chart is entirely up in the air. T.J. Edwards will probably have a role on early downs (and only on early downs) when they're in their base defense, but there's some concern that he will be ready for the season after suffering a fractured fibula in the wild-card round against Green Bay. Noah Sewell is in a similar boat after tearing his Achilles tendon in their Week 17 clash with San Francisco.

They were smart to bring back D'Marco Jackson, who has sneaky three-down potential as their best coverage 'backer last season, to a two-year deal this offseason. They also signed former fan favorite Jack Sanborn in free agency and landed a potential steal in the fifth round with the selection of Arizona State's Keyshaun Elliott. They clearly prioritized injecting speed and increasing the level of competition in their linebacker room this offseason. It'll be interesting to see how the snaps get divvied up.

Third WR job

Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond (11) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III will reprise their roles as the top two wide receivers on the depth chart. No one knows how the snaps will get distributed from there. Kalif Raymond and third-round pick Zavion Thomas have very similar skill sets. One of them will probably get a few targets per game in a gadget role, while the other could become an afterthought on offense and primarily be utilized in the return game (where they both thrive).

Former undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker, who came in clutch in a few key situations last season, will also hope to expand his role in a post-DJ Moore landscape. He won't be going away quietly anytime soon, and could carve out a solid role for himself in three-receiver sets if he shows up ready to play. Regardless, I don't think the number three wide receiver will have a massive impact on gameday. Ben Johnson will likely spread out those opportunities and utilize each player in the role that best fits what they bring to the table.