Time to Take a Look Before Camp

The last week of OTAs and veteran minicamp can provide a perfect time for the new coaching staff to experiment and here are some possible projects.

One of the great advantages for a new coaching staff in a rebuild like the Bears are experiencing is how nothing is off the table.

Matt Eberflus and staff need to know as much as they can about skills their personnel possess so that they have fall-back plans once injuries hit, or if some other players underperform.

After looking at veterans for a few weeks of OTAs and a voluntary minicamp, and seeing rookies for three weeks on the field in OTAs and rookie minicamp, the Bears went through a break this week.

They'll have three OTA sessions starting the week of June 6 and then the full roster is expected for mandatory three-day minicamp June 14.

If coaches want to experiment, there is no greater time than the coming week after the break because it gives them a chance to evaluate and then start minicamp with a better idea where they might fit pieces for training camp.

Already they've done some of this in OTAs, flipping rookie Jaquan Brisker and veteran Eddie Jackson at the safety positions to see how they both handle either side.

The minicamp is their last stop before training camp, so these last two weeks of the offseason work can be a critical proving ground.

Here are several potential experiments for the Bears coaches to ponder.

1. Kyler Gordon at Slot Cornerback

They do have Tavon Young at slot cornerback but he has had a history of injuries and hasn't been the league's best nickel coverage player. The Bears have looked at Gordon as a right cornerback so far, but everything they've said about him since the draft indicates they think he could play inside or outside at cornerback.

"The nickel is probably the hardest position on the football field," defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. "It used to be that the nickel was the 12th guy or the 13th guy that you have. Now in today's football game when you have so much sub or 11-personnel, that guy's a starter and that guy's a critical piece of the defense and that guy has to do a lot of things. He's gotta fit like a linebacker and a safety, he's gotta cover like a corner, he's gotta have the mentality of a 'Mike' linebacker.

"So to have (Gordon) go outside and inside, it's tough on a rookie. To be able to stick him in one place and let him go and develop and learn and feel comfortable, right now that's the plan. That's the plan to be determined. I get to change it when need-be, if we need to. That's the plan now."

Now that they've seen the outside, is it possible they'd feed him some inside reps to see what happens before camp and the real competition for starting spots begins?

2. Zachary Thomas at Right Guard Starter

The battle so far at right guard featured former starting center Sam Mustipher, who never played guard before, and former Vikings backup Dakota Dozier. Why not get the rookie sixth-round pick into the mix now with starters or even make it a free-for-all four-way battle and give seventh-rounder Ja'Tyre Carter a look there with starters, as well? The option of Mustipher or Dozier has a real low ceiling considering both have played in the NFL already without a great deal of success. Considering a rookie now in this spot before training camp just to get an idea of their ability to adapt to a higher level couldn't hurt.

3. Flip Roquan Smith and Nicholas Morrow

So far Morrow has played the Mike linebacker or middle spot and Smith the weak side or Will. Both seem to have the ability to play either and coaches have said as much, but they haven't. Playing Smith at weak side does make sense because of his great playmaking ability. That position keeps him around the ball more. However, letting them flip now gets them both reps at both spots in case one is missing in the regular season. It's important because the group of players the Bears have lined up after them at strong side and as backups is rather sketchy—Matthew Adams, Joe Thomas, Noah Dawkins and Caleb Johnson. They'll need to get as much from Morrow and Smith as possible and know both are comfortable in either spot in this defensive scheme.

4. Jaylon Johnson at Left Cornerback

Johnson has been limited to right side with backups at OTAs while the staff takes a look at Gordon with starters. Johnson seemed very willing to stay in the background while the rookie was being watched, almost as if he knew it wasn't a situation that was going to last.

"It's a complete reset," Johnson said. "Everything I've done in the past with the other coaches, with the other staff, I mean, it really doesn't mean anything too much. I mean, the film is not going to lie to you. But at the end of the day, they want me to show them what I can do in person moving forward."

Where will he be showing that?

Letting Johnson play some on the left side could give them the chance to evaluate the outside cornerbacks at positions where they might be starting in the regular season.

Or is the reason Johnson has stayed at right side with backups because coaches plan to actually move Gordon inside to nickel cornerback once they feel he has a good feel for the outside, so there really was no sense moving Johnson over to the left side?

5. Rookie Braxton Jones at Left Tackle with Starters

Larry Borom so far has had a monopoly on the starting left tackle reps but why should he? Their second-year tackle is built more like a guard or even a right tackle than a left tackle. Getting Jones a week of exposure with starters at left tackle could set him up to make a run at starting as a rookie at left tackle. Making him take that step in training camp or preseason games seems unnecessary when they can get his baptism with starters out of the way at this point.

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