Bear Digest

Where Unexpected Chicago Bears Roster Battles Are Headed

Analysis: Many of the positions and combatants for roster battles were predictable but the pathway to cutdown day and other twists involved couldn't have been imagined.

Gene Chamberlain

Daniel Hardy makes one of his 2 1/2 sacks against Buffalo. A roster run by the former Rams player wasn't entirely expected.
Daniel Hardy makes one of his 2 1/2 sacks against Buffalo. A roster run by the former Rams player wasn't entirely expected. / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Training camps open with expected narratives and then where it all goes thereafter no one can predict.

A player's expected fate can be decided by someone else's, and in some cases entirely by how coaches plan to use the position they play in the offense or defense.

Injuries are always the biggest determining factor, and not to a player in question but often to others on the roster.

Then special teams enter into the picture, although in the case of starters this usually isn't impactful. It definitely decides many roster decisions.

The Bears have only two days of practice next week after Saturday's game with Cincinnati and only a few practices after their final preseason game at Kansas City to make their roster cuts.

Where the entire thing has gone wasn't entirely predictable when they started out what seems like so long ago now on July 19.

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Here's a look at the altered state of key Bears roster battles as the home stretch begins for cutdown day. The game with the Bengals can make a big difference deciding or altering any of these situations.

The Interior Line Drama

This started as a clear-cut center battle between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton, and if Nate Davis had an injury issue they had Bates available to move over to right guard.

It went on this way for over a week at training camp but just before the first preseason game the status quo changed. First Bates suffered an injury and has been out all of August. Then, in short order, Davis went out with an injury, apparently aggravating an issue he had during OTAs when he missed time. He tried to return after about a week and aggravated it again.

When you look at center, it seems fait accompli. After the first two weeks it's been all Shelton practicing there, the former Rams starter. Why remove a player who has been working with Caleb Williams by far the most? This isn't what the plan was, but it's the cards the Bears have been dealt.

And then you have the late-comer in all of this. Matt Pryor replaced Davis during his second lineup departure and against Buffalo he looked like a man among boys at times.

A tackle for much of his career and one who has the size to play there at 6-7, 332, Pryor also has been a guard. You never can tell when a player might find his system fit, but perhaps being a guard in this offense is it. It's unexpected because the offense relies greatly on movement by linemen. Perhaps he is quicker afoot than he's shown in past stops with the Eagles, Colts and 49ers. Or ma9ybe he was simply up against too steep of competition with those teams. They have good guards in Indy, and the lines for the 49ers and Eagles have been exceptional over the last five years.

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"Yeah, like I said, I think it's important that we keep an open mind here," coach Matt Eberflus said. "It's not the end of training camp yet, and I think we just keep an open mind. What's the health of Bates? That's going to be a factor in that, Davis also staying healthy, Matt progressing in that spot as well and doing a nice job last week in the Buffalo game and the practice.

The key seems to be Bates' health but when asked about Eberflus didn't express much optimism. Bates has not been ramping up, so to speak. He's still working in the rehab area at practice.

"He's week-to-week right now, so I don't really know," Eberflus said. "I'm hopeful that it's soon. We'll see."

Week to week is not a matter of a couple of days. When it goes from day-to-day outlook to week-to-week, it's often something that might have landed a player on IR in the regular season. That would make it a three-week injury or more. It might not be wise to assume Bates' return until the end of the month, which would make decisions tough on starters for the opener.

Definitely this entire scenario does not fit what the Bears expected or wanted considering how important offensive line continuity is toward building a cohesive unit.

The Rise of Velus Jones Jr.

Running back roster spots appeared certain starting camp and it was only the backup roles to be determined behind starter D'Andre Swift. Either Roschon Johnson or Khalil Herbert would be backup and if it was Herbert then Johnson would get chances in certain situations like when pass blocking or receiving was needed, or short-yardage power.

Enter Jones, the receiver who has trouble fielding punts and even had trouble fielding a kickoff against the Bills.

Jones was looked at in the backfield last week as a gadget or alternate type back. At 200 pounds he's big for a receiver. For a running back, he's tall but not that heavy. However, he can generate great speed as a 4.31 player in the 40. He has a lot to learn as a back and tripped over his own feet early against the Bills.

However, the blocking held up and he started catching on to what he had to do minus the pass blocking. That will be a real issue for him regardless.

There has been much speculation about Herbert's future because he's in a contract year and has value as a ball carrier. The other two backs on the roster are Travis Homer and undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler. In practices and last week's game, Wheeler showed good promise for a debut performance and led the team in rushing. Homer is more of a receiver and pass blocker. Wheeler has excellent speed.

It's obvious Jones as a receiver would face a year of watching with the two veteran starters and then first-round pick Rome Odunze. The backfield spot seems ideal for a Cordarrelle Patterson type of player who is kick returner and change of pace.

What does this do to Khalil Herbert or even Johnson then? A team's not keeping all of those backs. If Jones proves to be someone they can count on for four or five carries a game and a few catches out of the backfield, would they even want or need Herbert on the roster. He could have some trade value as a player who led all NFL running backs with 100 rushes or more in average per carry two years ago.

Jones has two games to prove he can hold onto this niche.

Receiver Depth

After Odunze, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, Tyler Scott hasn't had a particularly impactful later part of training camp. Early on he was catching more deep passes. Jones has been working with the backs.

In the meantime, the player whose performance has most indicated a rise in this group is Dante Pettis. He caught two passes in the game with one called back, and in practice over the past two weeks has been at the end of deeper passes from Caleb Williams as well as the other backups. He also remains their most sure-handed punt returner. He handled the punt return work in the rain Thursday flawlessly and has a season of working in the Soldier Field wind.

Where does all this lead?

If they like the more sure bet with the backs over Jones, and Pettis and others can handle return duties, why would they even keep Jones for a third season? If the roster has six wide receivers, Scott, DeAndre Carter and Pettis seems like a dependable grouping for backups. Jones better be working that running back transition hard.

Backup Quarterback

The first preseason game put Brett Rypien squarely in a fight for backup duties but incumbent Tyson Bagent hasn't had noticeable issues in practice or in two preseason games. Austin Reed simply seems to be headed toward the fate of most undrafted NFL rookie QBs. He'll be hoping to catch on somewhere. Would they keep three QBs on the roster. The game-day roster rules now make it a more viable option.

Fourth Tight End

Everyone worried about whether Shane Waldron's offense could work the tight ends in with so many good wide receivers, yet three backup tight ends are among the players at the top of the receptions chart for preseason. Tommy Sweeney (5-76 yards), Stephen Carlson (4-27 yards) and Brenden Bates (3-36 yards) all have shown ability to be the fourth tight end if one is kept. Considering Big Dog Marcedes Lewis is 40 years old, they might want that fourth on the roster.

Toughest Cut

The toughest cut looked to be at cornerback coming into camp because they have so many who can play. It's probably going to be the case, but the course of camp has seen so many different backups rise and fall that figuring out who the ones left standing will be seems like a mystery.   

Eberflus praised Josh Blackwell's play recently and at one time rookie Reddy Steward was a player on the rise. Greg Stroman Jr. keeps on picking off passes, and did it again against Joe Burrow in the practice with Cincinnati.

Jaylon Jones has maintained a steady pace and was even brought in to talk with media this week, and that's usually a good sign for a player. Then again, Dominique Robinson did that, too, and no one could say he rates among the favorites to win a defensive line roster spot.

One or even two tough cuts could come here and although the battle was expected, the course of it hasn't been predictable.

Edge Rusher Abundance?

The picture looked clear when camp started: They needed to sign or trade for another pass rusher. If edge rusher Austin Booker shows up against the Bengals like against the Bills, the need seems negligible. And the other defensive linemen have looked better, as well. Is it the added touch defensive coordinator Eric Washington provides as a former line coach?

"He's been a great help and he’s stayed on me, but at the same time he knows that to be able to go do what you want to do, you have to have that confidence," Booker said. "So he has a great medium of installing that confidence in me but at the same time it’s never good enough, so we’re always getting better."

With Daniel Hardy and Khalid Kareem even producing, the decision on who gets cut might be a tougher one than deciding if they need to sign someone.

That definitely is not a pathway anyone could have projected starting this training camp and preseason.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher 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.