Tuesday marked two full weeks of training camp for the Chicago Bears and there’s been no shortage of activity, both on and off the field.
Pads have been on for over a week now and players are jockeying for starting positions or even roster spots as the first preseason game draws closer and closer.
Training camp performances will ebb and flow, with certain players standing out while others may be struggling for one reason or another. Here are a few players we see rising and falling at this point during camp.
Stock Up: OT Teven Jenkins
Offensive tackle Teven Jenkins’ stock really had nowhere to go but up after missing most of the first week with an injury and having to hear his name in trade rumors for multiple days in a row. But Jenkins finally returned to the field last Saturday and has started working his way back into the mix for the right tackle competition.
He’s looked fairly solid in individual drills and now finds himself with an opportunity to make some noise during the preseason. He still has a ways to go and his spot on the team isn’t guaranteed by any stretch, but it’s a vast improvement from where he was one week ago.
Stock Up: TE Cole Kmet
Slowly but surely, tight end Cole Kmet has established himself as one of Fields’ go-to guys as camp has progressed. Kmet looks slimmer and faster than he did in 2021 and he’s primed to be more of a focal point in Luke Getsy’s offense. He’s gotten open in the middle of the field during team drills, but has also shown he can beat defenders deeper for bigger gains, like he did against Jaquan Brisker during Family Fest on Tuesday.
With a limited receiver group looking even more limited thanks to injuries, Kmet is going to need to continue his strong camp into the regular season. But so far, so good for the third-year tight end.
Stock Up: CB Tavon Young
The Bears receivers aren’t the only position group dealing with injuries. The cornerbacks have been banged up as of late too, giving a few players ample opportunity to show what they can do with a starting role. One of those players is veteran Tavon Young, who signed as a free agent in March from the Baltimore Ravens. Young has seen plenty of time at nickel corner and has made plays both in the run and pass game over the last week. He’s challenging the Bears receivers at the line and swatting balls away in coverage when targeted.
When the other corners return from injury, we’ll see where Young fits in as rookie Kyler Gordon was getting plenty of run at nickel, for example. But he’s doing what he can to earn those reps and is making the most of his opportunity.
Stock Up: QB Nathan Peterman
Sound the quarterback controversy alarms! No, that’s not where I’m going with this. But reserve quarterback Nathan Peterman has looked pretty good in camp so far at third string and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him push for the backup job. Peterman has been putting in extra work and has established a connection with reserve receivers such as Chris Finke and Dazz Newsome. He can throw a nice deep ball and he has a chance to open some eyes during the preseason.
The Bears have Trevor Siemian as their backup quarterback right now and it would still probably be an upset to see him upstaged by Peterman at some point. But I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the former Pitt quarterback through camp thus far.
Stock Down: LB Roquan Smith
Linebacker Roquan Smith’s hold in at camp went from annoying to worrisome thanks to one message on the notes app. Smith officially requested a trade Tuesday morning, creating doubt as to whether he and the Bears can find common ground when it comes to a new contract. Smith has been at Halas Hall for everyday of camp, but has not participated while on the physically unable to perform list (PUP).
The thinking was the Bears and Smith would be close to hashing out a deal at this point but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps something still gets done before the end of the preseason but fans are definitely more worried than they were 48 hours ago.
Stock Down: WR N'Keal Harry
The N’Keal Harry experiment might already be over before it had a chance to get started. The former 2019 first-round pick was acquired via trade from the New England Patriots last month and was working his way onto the roster before he suffered a severe ankle injury in practice. Now expected to miss 6-8 weeks, Harry’s days with the Bears might already be done.
Poles and the Bears will have some options when it comes to Harry, like possibly keeping him on the roster for a few weeks until he’s healthy when the regular season starts, or they can wait to put him on injured reserve. But it’s a huge blow to a guy looking for a fresh start to his NFL career.
Stock Down: OT Larry Borom
Right before the team reported to camp in July, the prevailing thought was that offensive tackle Larry Borom would be competing for the starting right tackle position along with Jenkins. Then the Bears added veteran Riley Reiff to add even more competition to the line and now it appears as if he’s the player in line to start on the right side.
Borom had been rotating with Reiff on the right side for much of camp, but has recently found himself back on the left side behind rookie Braxton Jones. He’s even listed as the backup left tackle on the unofficial depth chart, indicating he could be starting to fall out of the race to start. There’s still time in camp Borom is trending in the wrong direction at this point.
