Tag: 2020 training camp preview

Best Chicago Bears Twitter follows for training camp

Here are some Bears Twitter accounts to follow to keep up to date during training camp.

The Chicago Bears are kicking off training camp on Tuesday, and there are no shortage of storylines to keep an eye on through what’s going to be an unconventional training camp.

There are a number of roster battles that will need to be decided in training camp, given there will be no preseason this year. The headliner is the quarterback battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. But there are also two starting jobs in the secondary up for grabs at cornerback and safety, as well as roster spots on the line at running back, wide receiver and tight end.

Here are some Bears Twitter accounts to follow to keep up to date during training camp:

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Special teams

The Bears have a much more stable unit than they did last year. Here’s how all key special teams contributors stack up heading into camp.

Special teams in the NFL can change the game for better or for worse. The Chicago Bears experienced the latter in grand fashion back in 2018 thanks to the “double doink” and worked to revamp their unit with one of the most highly-publicized kicking competitions ever and signing an All-Pro returner to kickstart the kickoff.

While the finished product certainly had room for improvement, particularly at the kicker position, it yielded quite a few positive results over the course of the season.

Now, one full year removed from the kicking fiasco, the Bears head into 2020 with a much more stable unit than they did last year at this time. Here’s how all key special teams contributors stack up heading into camp.

K Eddy Pineiro

Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

The winner of the exhaustive Bears Bachelor-esque competition last summer, Pineiro held onto the job all year long after being traded from the then-Oakland Raiders and provided plenty of fireworks, both good and bad, as noted above.

For a while, it appeared the team had found its reliable kicker they had sought since the days of Robbie Gould when Pineiro converted 9-of-10 field goals in his first six games. Then the wheels came off, as he struggled to keep his consistency, going 3-of-7 in the middle of the season. Pineiro did rebound to close out 2019, nailing 11 consecutive kicks but questions still linger. His accuracy wasn’t consistent enough over an entire season and is his leg strong enough to hit deep field goals? Pineiro didn’t attempt a kick longer than 50 yards after his game-winning 53-yard field goal to win against the Broncos.

Going into the season, Pineiro is still the favorite to win the job, with far less competition breathing down his neck. Still, the kicker position is one of the most fluid in the NFL and if he endures another tough stretch, he probably won’t have the opportunity to rebound from it in Chicago.

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Safeties

With Eddie Jackson sliding back over to his natural position at free safety, the Chicago Bears defense should get a big boost.

Potentially a question mark entering the offseason, the Chicago Bears quieted the doubters when they signed safety Tashaun Gipson to replace Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who departed in free agency. Clinton-Dix was persuaded by friend and former Alabama teammate to join the Bears on a one-year, “prove-it” deal, which turned into another one-year deal with the Cowboys.

In order to accommodate Clinton-Dix, All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson slid over to strong safety, taking him away from plays on the ball. Now that Jackson is back in his natural position at free safety, the Chicago Bears defense should get a significant boost.

Let’s review what the Bears safety room looks like as a whole.

Eddie Jackson

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Back at free safety this season, Jackson should be more comfortable doing what he does best, which is making plays on the ball. The former fourth-round pick has quickly become one of the best safeties in the league, highlighted by an All-Pro year in 2018 where he tallied six interceptions, returning two for touchdowns.

Both of Jackson’s interceptions last year came in desperation mode for the opposition, but the Bears will be counting on him to create turnovers this year.

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6 biggest questions heading into Bears training camp

The Bears are gearing up for the starting of training camp, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered ahead of the 2020 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the starting of training camp next week, and there are plenty of questions yet to be answered ahead of the 2020 regular season.

Obviously training camp is going to look different amid COVID-19 concerns, which includes the cancellation of preseason. Which means every rep for players competing for a starting job or roster spot — be it quarterback, cornerback, safety, etc. — is going to be important.

Let’s take a look at the six biggest questions heading into training camp.

1. Who will win the starting quarterback job?

USA Today

No doubt the biggest question heading into training camp — and the regular season — is who will be the Bears’ starting quarterback. Following a rough season for third-year starter Mitchell Trubisky, the team traded for an experienced veteran in Nick Foles to challenge Trubisky for the starting job. But Foles isn’t just there to mentor and push Trubisky, he’s there to potentially replace him.

Obviously with the virtual offseason amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the quarterback competition isn’t going to pan out how the Bears had wanted it to. With the absence of organized team activities, minicamp and the cancellation of the preseason, there will be a limited sample size from which Matt Nagy will have to make his decision. That small sample size ultimately benefits Trubisky, who could be a favorite to win the job given his experience operating this offense with these current playmakers. But we’ll see if Foles can ultimately best Trubisky in training camp practices against one of the league’s best defenses.

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As Bears QBs report to camp, who do you think will win the starting job?

After an entirely virtual offseason, Chicago’s QB battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles will finally begin at training camp.

It’s been a long offseason, but we’re getting closer to the start of the 2020 NFL season. After rookies were permitted to report to training camp Tuesday, quarterbacks and injured players are the latest players allowed to report on Thursday.

There’s even more focus on the quarterback position for the Chicago Bears this season given the highly-touted competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. It was a position battle that was supposed to start earlier this offseason, but COVID-19 forced an entirely virtual offseason, delaying the start of the quarterback competition.

While many had Foles pegged as the favorite to win the job, circumstances surrounding this offseason and upcoming season are certainly changing that. Given the recommended acclimation period, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to eliminate the preseason entirely this season. That’ll give Foles over a month to develop chemistry with his skill position players, which isn’t ideal.

That gives Bears head coach Matt Nagy a limited sample size to make his decision for the starter, which could give incumbent starter Trubisky a slight edge over Foles at this point. Then again, it comes down to those training camp practices, which are more valuable than ever now. When the Bears take the field for the first practice, Trubisky will be the first to run with the first team offense before Foles gets his opportunity.

While Nagy will be forced to rely on training camp reps, it certainly doesn’t hurt that both Trubisky and Foles will be going up against one of the league’s best defenses every day in practice.

What say you Bears fans? Heading into training camp, who do you think will ultimately win the starting job and be under center for Week 1 against the Detroit Lions?

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Cornerbacks

Here is a breakdown of each cornerback as the Bears prepare for the start of training camp.

When the Chicago Bears cornerbacks take the field in just under a week, there will be some familiarity but also quite a bit of change. Pro Bowl cornerback Kyle Fuller returns as the team’s top option as he continues to establish himself as one of the best corners in the game, but he doesn’t know who his counterpart on the other side of the field will be.

Former starting cornerback Prince Amukamara was released in February and the Bears have brought in a bevy of players in free agency and the NFL Draft to compete for the starting position opposite of Fuller.

The position group will certainly be one to watch when camp officially begins. Here is a breakdown of each cornerback as the Bears get ready for the 2020 season.

Kyle Fuller

Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images

Kyle Fuller continues to rewrite his own history as the former 2014 first-round draft pick went from bust to beast. Fuller put together another fine season in 2019, intercepting three passes and posting a career high in tackles with 82. His production did slip from his outstanding 2018 season, but that was in part due to the Bears’ front seven not generating enough pass rush. Fuller is a player who plays off the ball, able to watch the quarterback and receiver to make last-minute plays on the ball.

Fuller is one of the longest-tenured Bears and will be expected to lead the position group on and off the field more than ever now that Amukamara, one of the team’s key leaders since 2017, has moved on. His first task? Mentoring the Bears hotshot second-round draft pick.

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Bears 2020 training camp preview: Linebackers

The Chicago Bears linebacker corps figures to be a strength on defense, but are there depth concerns on the roster?

Chicago Bears history is rich with linebacker talent that has generally been the backbone of the defense. Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Brian Urlacher are just a few names who have left their mark on this franchise and on the NFL, as well.

And at first glance, the 2020 version of the linebacker corps looks strong on paper. The Bears added Robert Quinn in the offseason, officially ending a disappointing tenure in Leonard Floyd. Quinn, 30, was signed to a five-year, $70 million deal, and he’s coming off an impressive 11.5 sack year with the Cowboys.

Let’s take an in-depth review of the Bears linebacker room heading into training camp.

OLB Khalil Mack

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

After an impressive debut season in Chicago, Khalil Mack was double, and sometimes even triple-teamed, to limit the damage. He tallied his lowest sack total (8.5) since his rookie year, and he felt Akiem Hicks’ absence the most. After recording 4.5 sacks through the first four weeks, he logged just four sacks the rest of the way.

Mack remains one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL, and Hicks’ return should boost his statistics in 2020. He can single-handedly wreak havoc on an opposing offense. Despite a down year, Mack started in all 16 games, tallying four pass deflections and five forced fumbles.

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