'We believe in them:' Bears veterans who face challenge from rookies originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus didn't come right out and say it when he took the podium at Halas Hall at the start of Bears rookie minicamp, but the message was clear.
There will be competition; some who started last year won't in 2023.
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"We believe in all those guys that are currently on our roster, or they wouldn’t be here," Eberflus said when asked about rookies pushing veterans for certain jobs. "So those guys are all gonna compete. And obviously, we believe in the guys we drafted. So when you start to increase your talent on your roster, the competition gets better and gets more. And I think it’s a healthy thing, you know? The NFL is all about competition. It’s all about, ‘Hey, we’re trying to get these spots. And you have to compete for that spot.’"
Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles injected copious amounts of much-needed talent into a roster that cratered during a 3-14 season a year ago. The bulk of that talent came in the form of 10 draft picks, with first-round pick Darnell Wright headlining a group that has many believing Poles has the ship pointed in the right direction.
Wright will be the Day 1 starter at right tackle, barring an injury.
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But he won't be the only rookie to start when the Bears take the field Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Several key members of Poles' second class landed in a position battle the moment they set foot at Halas.
As a result, several veterans are on notice as the second week of OTAs gets underway.
Kindle Vildor
This is the headliner after the Bears traded up into the second round to draft Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson at No. 56.
Stevenson is a long, physical, press-man corner with good ball skills. The Bears' plan is for Stevenson to win the No. 2 corner job, allowing Kyler Gordon to focus solely on the nickel.
Last season, Vildor allowed 26 catches on 39 targets for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Vildor's 112.0 passer rating against ranked 13th worst among cornerbacks with at least 290 coverage snaps, per PFF. Gordon was right above him at 110.8.
While the Bears would prefer Stevenson win the job, they don't plan to hand it to the rookie. Stevenson worked on the second field during the first media-observed OTA session, while Vildor, Jaylon Jones, and Michael Ojemudia got first-team reps with Jaylon Johnson absent.
Khalil Herbert
David Montgomery leaving for the Detroit Lions seemed to signal that Herbert would take over as the lead back in 2023. The signing of D'Onta Freeman gave the Bears a solid one-two punch in the backfield.
Then came the selection of Texas running back Roschon Johnson in the fourth round. From the moment the Bears landed Johnson, their infatuation with the do-everything back was clear. The Bears view Johnson as a culture-setter and franchise pillar.
Those guys don't sit on the bench for long.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and running backs coach David Walker both said the running back room would have an open competition for carries, with Herbert starting the offseason as RB1.
Herbert is an explosive one-cut-and-go back. He's a perfect fit as a home-run threat in the Bears' wide-zone scheme. But Herbert has issues in pass protection and hasn't been a reliable pass-catching weapon early in his career.
If Johnson can master the offense and show he can check both those boxes, he'll have a good shot at winning the job.
Velus Jones Jr., Equanimeous St. Brown, Dante Pettis
There isn't one receiver that fits this category. It's everyone who comes after Chase Claypool on depth chart.
Acquiring DJ Moore puts Darnell Mooney and Claypool into roles that fit their skill sets. It also means less will be expected of St. Brown and Pettis, who were key targets in a punchless passing game last fall.
While the trade for Moore gave the wide receiver room some structure, the selection of Cincinnati wide receiver Tyler Scott made it crowded. The former Junior Olympian gives the Bears a dynamic vertical threat who can stretch the field and make catches in traffic. At the very least, Scott should force safeties to respect the deep pass, opening up the middle of the field for Moore, Mooney, and Cole Kmet to operate.
Scott's arrival also means one or two of the three receivers listed above likely will not be on the opening 53-man roster.
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The Bears like St. Brown's run-blocking. Both Pettis and Jones have value as return men on special teams. Scott's arrival should light a fire under Jones, who struggled during his rookie season.
It's a four-horse race for WR4 this offseason, with Scott's speed potentially being the ultimate trump card.
Justin Jones
The Bears signed Jones last offseason after the Larry Ogunjobi deal fell through. Jones is a valuable locker room leader, but only notched 27 pressures and three sacks last season.
Eberflus' defense needs a disruptive three-technique to run at optimal effectiveness.
Enter: second-round pick Gervon Dexter and third-round pick Zacch Pickens.
Poles drafted two penetrating defensive tackles on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
While Dexter will need to be rebuilt from the ground up, Pickens has already started to flash the quick get-off and penetration ability that the Bears covet in a three-technique.
The Bears will rotate their interior defensive linemen to keep them fresh. Expect Jones to be the Day 1 starting three-tech, but if Pickens can consistently wreak havoc, he could eat into Jones' snaps.
Jack Sanborn
Sanborn was the feel-good story of the Bears' dismal 2022 season.
The undrafted rookie is a sure tackler, plays faster than he tested at the combine, and is almost always in the right spot.
With the signing of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards in free agency, Sanborn is slated to be the starting SAM linebacker.
However, the Bears drafted Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell in the fifth round. Sewell was a projected top-60 pick a season ago but saw his draft stock fall after an uneven final season in Eugene.
Sewell is a violent downhill linebacker with exceptional blitz skills. Sewell struggles in coverage and doesn't have great lateral quickness, but he is a better athlete than Sanborn. He fits the Eberflus linebacker mold better than Sanborn.
Sanborn will have the upper hand entering training camp, but it won't be a surprise if the competition goes down to the wire.
