Bear-Bonnais: Three Positional Battles to Watch

Something to keep an eye on in Bourbonnais is how positional battles will shake out, and who Lovie Smith and the staff will start come season. Though it's not likely that Jay Cutler, Julius Peppers or Brian Urlacher are going to have to worry that an upstart player will take their spots, there are still plenty of intriguing fights for spots to look out for.

At center -- Chris Spencer vs. Roberto Garza: The spot that was belonged to Olin Kreutz since the Clinton administration is now up for grabs. Garza has the edge on experience with the line, as he would move over from guard whenever Kreutz couldn't play. Spencer, who previously was the center for Seattle, is younger and more explosive. The X-factor is that if Garza moves to center, will the Bears be comfortable with Lance Louis or someone else to plug the hole left at Guard? The answer to that question will have as much impact on who starts at center as Garza and Spencer's comfort snapping the ball.

At cornerback -- Tim Jennings vs. Zack Bowman: Left cornerback is up for grabs. Bowman started strong last season, making 25 tackles and a forced fumble in his first five games, but then was hampered by a foot injury for the rest of the season. Jennings was consistent over the course of the season, with 56 tackles, an interception and seven broken up passes. According to assistant coach Jon Hoke, the best man will play, so you can bet that these two will try to impress with every play. 

At running back -- Chester Taylor vs. Marion Barber: Matt Forte is all but locked up as the starting RB, but short-yardage, third down reps are up for grabs. Both Taylor and Barber appear to be the man for the job, so they will each need to show that they can get the yardage when it counts.

Grizzly Detail will have plenty more on training camp as we inch closer to the season. Follow us on Twitter.