The Chicago Bears don’t need every position battle to break one way to have a meaningful training camp, but a few players could end up steering the conversation fast. Courtney Cronin of ESPN pointed to three names worth tracking closely: Kyler Gordon, Logan Jones, and Zavion Thomas. Their development could change how the Bears are viewed heading into the season.
Gordon is the biggest swing of the group. His situation with head coach Ben Johnson already feels delicate, and Johnson has not fully bought into Gordon’s soft tissue injuries. The expectations for a return have been tough, and the Bears are clearly watching to see whether he can stay available this summer.
That matters because Gordon is entering what could be his final year in Chicago. If the staff doesn’t come around on him, the team could move on and clear a significant amount of cap space. When healthy, he’s a quality slot cornerback, but the Bears won’t hesitate to turn to rookie Malik Muhammad if Gordon can’t keep himself on the field.
Thomas brings a different kind of intrigue. Cronin compared him to Jahmyr Gibbs, which is a pretty eye-opening comparison for a player who was a wide receiver at LSU. The offseason chatter has centered on Thomas potentially shifting to running back, or at least becoming a gadget piece.
He doesn’t bring receiver production, but he does bring speed and quickness, and that makes him one of the more interesting camp watches on the roster. Where he lines up and how often Chicago works him into the offense should reveal whether he’s trending more toward Tarik Cohen or Velus Jones as a draft pick.
Then there’s Jones, the rookie center who may not need to start immediately because the Bears added veteran Garrett Bradbury. But Bradbury is on his third team in as many years for a reason, and the team views him as a stopgap.
That opens the door for Jones to take over once he’s ready. It could happen as early as week 1, or it might not come until later in his rookie season. Either way, his first training camp will be closely watched, with the hope that he can hit the ground running.
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