Chicago Bears: 5 Training Camp Battles To Watch

The Chicago Bears appear, on paper, to have one of their most interesting rosters from top to bottom they’ve had in years.

Thanks to the diligent work of GM Ryan Pace and his front office, they suddenly have a team that is young, talented and much deeper than its been in a long time. The hard part is morphing this collection of individual athletes into a cohesive bunch that can carry the organization back to relevance in the NFC. A tall order given how stacked the conference is these days.

That makes what’s to come in training camp so crucial. Every roster spot is valuable moving forward. Head coach Matt Nagy and his staff must figure how who the best 53 players are within the next few months. Several position groups are far from certain in terms of their makeup. That means heavy competition is ahead with several heated battles for those few coveted spots.

For those who wish to know, here are the battlegrounds that deserve the most attention as training camp approaches in July.

Josh Bellamy vs. Bennie Fowler vs. Javon Wims vs. Tanner Gentry vs. Marlon Brown

It’s hard not to feel at least a little bit giddy about how things have shaped up for the Bears at wide receiver. Last year their best options were guys like Kendall Wright and Dontrelle Inman. Now it’s a setup of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and rookie Anthony Miller. Together with Kevin White, they should make up the top of the depth chart going into this season.

The tricky part is those final two spots. For the first time in what feels like ages they actually have a loaded competition. There are solid veterans like Marlon Brown and Bennie Fowler, special teams contributors like Josh Bellamy and Tanner Gentry and of course upside draft pick Javon Wims. Five notable names. Two open spots. Let the games begin.