Positional battles emerging in Bears training camp

WCG’s lead draft analyst shares the key positional battles showing up in Bears training camp.

Chicago Bears training camp is in full swing for the 2025 season, and every spot is up for grabs with a new coaching staff in place.

At least, that’s what you’ll hear in press conferences. While players do have to prove themselves with a new staff in charge, a lot of starting positions seem to be playing out as expected.

That said, there are still a couple of key roles that are up for grabs as the preseason draws near. With over a week of training camp practices in the books, here are a couple notable positions on the Bears’ roster that currently have open competitions.

Left tackle: Braxton Jones vs. Ozzy Trapilo vs. Kiran Amegadjie

As of this writing, the Bears seem to be rotating three players into their starting left tackle opening. Given that he’s the incumbent starter, Braxton Jones projects as the favorite to win the job in Week 1.

However, head coach Ben Johnson is giving two young linemen the opportunity to take first-team reps. Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo has been taking snaps with the starters, as has last year’s third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie.

It remains to be seen exactly who will come out on top. However, Jones is entering his contract year and figures to get a big contract once his rookie deal expires, from the Bears or someone else. An open competition for his starting left tackle spot might indicate he’s not in their long-term plans.

Cornerback: Tyrique Stevenson vs. Nahshon Wright vs. Terell Smith

Tyrique Stevenson has been the starting perimeter cornerback opposite Jaylon Johnson for each of the last two seasons. After finishing his rookie year off strongly in 2023, he fell short of expectations in 2024. Heading into Year 3 with a new coaching staff, he has a lot to prove before assuming a starting role again.

By all accounts, Stevenson is battling primarily with Nahshon Wright for a starting cornerback role. A third-round pick in 2021, Wright has only started in three games in his NFL career. However, he has reportedly impressed when taking reps with the first-team defense.

2023 fifth-round pick Terell Smith also figures to be in the mix for a starting opportunity. Their fifth-round rookie from this past draft, Zah Frazier, is away from the team for personal reasons.

Stevenson, Wright and Smith all rank 80th percentile or higher in arm length for the cornerback position. All of them specialize in coverage closer to the line of scrimmage. Stevenson in particular stands out as a better fit in Dennis Allen’s more physical attacking system than Matt Eberflus’ zone-heavy approach.

However, Stevenson has yet to outright win that starting cornerback job. If he gets benched in a scheme that’s a better fit for his skill set, it wouldn’t bode well for his future as an NFL starting cornerback.

Second-string quarterback: Case Keenum vs. Tyson Bagent

Tyson Bagent has been the Bears’ primary backup quarterback for the last two seasons. He didn’t start any games in 2024 since Caleb Williams played in all 17 games. However, he did start in four games in 2023 in the absence of Justin Fields, going 2-2 in that span.

Though he kept the Bears afloat in his starts, he also threw six interceptions to just three touchdowns. General manager Ryan Poles brought in competition for the second-string quarterback role in Case Keenum, the 37-year-old journeyman who has 66 career starts in the NFL.

According to those attending practices, Keenum and Bagent seem to be alternating reps between the second-team and third-team offenses. The 14-year veteran had been on the non-football injury list earlier in July but was activated right at the start of training camp.

Giving Bagent and Caleb Williams a veteran quarterback to learn from makes sense, seeing as though both of them are still on their rookie deals. While Keenum essentially serves in a hybrid player-coach role, it seems like he’s also strongly in the mix for Chicago’s primary backup quarterback spot.