Chicago Bears With Most to Lose Going Into Training Camp

The Chicago Bears approach the 2018 summer months with a greater sense of excitement and anticipation that hasn’t been seen in years.

Under the careful guidance of GM Ryan Pace, they have assembled one of the younger, more interesting rosters in the NFL. Though the wins haven’t shown up yet, the general feeling is this is a team ready to take off. Especially after the work they did this off-season. Everything from the hiring of a new coaching staff to free agency and the draft was met with praise.

Yet in spite of all the feel-good moments, there were some people who weren’t getting those vibes. Such is the reality of this league. With new coaches and players coming in the fray each year, somebody isn’t happy with their situation. As the Bears approach training camp this July, who are the men who have the most to lose?

Kevin White (WR)

Following the exit of Cameron Meredith, it looked like Kevin White might be destined for one more big opportunity at wide receiver. That seemed to fizzle away when the team added Bennie Fowler, Marlon Brown and Anthony Miller in the space of a month. Combined with Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, it’s becoming harder to see where White fits in this offense. He’s back to square one in terms of understanding route running concepts for this offense and he also has no prior connection to Mitch Trubisky. It’s a huge mountain to climb.

Hroniss Grasu (C)

The arrival of James Daniels probably didn’t hurt anybody more than it hurt Hroniss Grasu. The former 3rd round pick went from settled starter early in 2016 to no guarantee to even make the roster in 2017. A mixture of tearing his ACL, the ascent of Cody Whitehair and arrival of more versatile options like Daniels and Eric Kush have made it difficult to justify keeping him on the roster. Right now it’s less his ability and more his connection to offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich that gives him the best chance to stick.

Nick Kwiatkoski (ILB)

It’s amazing how quickly things change. At the start of the off-season, it looked like Nick Kwiatkoski was ready to become the starter at inside linebacker. Jerrell Freeman was cut. Christian Jones signed in Detroit. Then in the space of two days, it all changed. Roquan Smith went in the 1st round, pretty much ensuring he’s the starter moving forward. If that weren’t bad enough, Joel Iyiegbuniwe arrived in the 4th round. Suddenly the starting job wasn’t just gone, his position as the primary backup is under threat as well.

Next: 2018 NFL Draft: The Best Pick From All 32 Teams

Marcus Cooper (CB)

This might seem a bit confusing. Cooper was a depth option last year behind Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara. Both of those players are back on long-term deals. It seems his original position is set. Except that’s not the case. The Bears appears to have made some strong additions to the bottom of their corner depth chart with two undrafted free agents in Kevin Toliver and Michael Joseph. Both of them are high-level athletes with upside who are considerably cheaper than Cooper. If either of them shines in camp and preseason, his return to Chicago will be a short one.