These Bears veterans could be on guard this summer after starting for a team in recent years and originally appearing on NBC Sports Chicago
Instead of following key position battles for the Bears this summer, we’ll do things like track Caleb Williams’ completions and tally the results for the talented defense. After tearing down the roster in 2022, GM Ryan Poles has rebuilt it. There is significantly better talent across the board this year than last year. Accordingly, most, if not all, of the starters are already in place.
So the fights will not be at the top of the depth chart, but at the bottom.
“It’s going to be hard to make this team now,” Poles said last month. “It will be very difficult to form this team.”
Many of the players who don’t make the roster are undrafted free agents and practice squad guys. But with the improved talent at each position group, some veterans and even former starters could be on the cutting edge this year.
Here’s a look at four Bears veterans who might not break with the team:
KHARI BLASINGAME-FULLBACK
Blasingame is still a good lead blocker and his significant playing time on special teams would be valuable to any team. But it’s unclear how he will fit into Shane Waldron’s offense. When Waldron was running the show in Seattle, he didn’t have a designated fullback and opted to throw a big wide receiver or even a linebacker into the backfield when the team called for an extra blocker. Will Blasingame’s contributions on special teams be enough to keep him around? Or will the team go with an extra blocking tight end or linebacker instead?
LARRY BOROM – SWING TACKLE
Over the course of Borom’s rookie season in 2021, it seemed like he could be on track to start at right tackle for years to come. He took over for Germain Ifedi early in the season and played well. But when the Poles took over the team, he had a different view of offensive linemen than Ryan Pace and the previous regime. Borom quickly fell out of favor and went back to the bench. Last year, Borom was tapped as a backup, but he struggled. With newcomers Matt Pryor, Kiran Amegadjie and Jake Curhan in the mix, Borom could be one of the players left off the roster this fall.
VELUS JONES JR. – WIDE RECEIVER / RETURNS SPECIALIST
The Bears believe the NFL’s new kickoff rules will make Jones Jr. specifically will help you be successful this season, and there’s a chance that new wide receivers coach Chris Beatty Jones Jr. better informed about the offense than former WRs coach Tyke Tolbert did. However, the Bears’ receiving room is much busier now than it was in 2022 when Jones Jr. joined the team. DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze are locked into the top three wide receiver spots. Afterwards, Tyler Scott, Dante Pettis, Collin Johnson, Freddie Swain, Jones Jr. and several others compete for remaining playing time. If Jones Jr. struggles on special teams in camp, or if one of the others performs better as a returner, he could be gone this fall.
DOMINIQUE ROBINSON – DEFENSIVE END
Robinson is another mid-round draft pick who seemed to be on the right track (extremely) early in his career. In his very first game, Robinson recorded 1.5 sacks, including a nifty move to get past 49ers star left tackle Trent Williams. However, since that big debut, Robinson has recorded just 0.5 sacks in 27 games with seven starts. Even with Austin Booker joining the rotation, the defensive end isn’t the deepest group on the team, so Robinson could stick around on a numbers game alone. But if a player like Khalid Kareem or Jacob Martin outperforms him this summer, the Bears could take the bait.
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