They say that the offseason always feels shorter when your favorite team makes the playoffs. For the Chicago Bears and their fans, I’m not sure they would share the same sentiment. Although the offseason was technically shortened by two weeks due to a pair of playoff games, the feeling of getting back and challenging for a Super Bowl has been a topic of discussion for the better part of seven months.
Although the regular season is still just over six weeks away, fans can finally turn their focus to
the start of training camp and how this roster will shake out. In just one season, head coach Ben Johnson re-shaped the offense and transformed a Bottom 10 unit into a Top 10 product. For the first time in a decade, the sole focus hasn’t been on the quarterback. Although former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams does need to take another step forward in 2026, there’s far more excitement surrounding this unit than anxious energy.
Even with high hopes, there are a few camp battles worth keeping an eye on, and that’s what we’ll dive into now. Here are the Top 3 Training Camp battles on the offensive side of the ball.
Left Tackle
This feels familiar, doesn’t it? It might be hard to believe, but despite having one of the league’s best offensive lines, left tackle continues to be a question mark for this team. Going back to the Bears’ playoff opener against the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, it felt like they had their starting five for the next two-plus seasons. Then, a ruptured patellar tendon to Ozzy Trapilo and a surprise retirement a month later from Drew Dalman, and all of a sudden, that elite offensive line had two open holes in its starting lineup.
We’ll dive into both spots, but let’s start at left tackle. Like last year, this will be a multi-week, multi-name competition. The only real saving grace is that this should be a more straightforward competition with two primary names to watch. The veteran Braxton Jones comes in as the odds-on favorite, and assuming he’s healthy, there’s reason to believe he should win the competition pretty handily. That said, former Cleveland Browns first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. is an x-factor, pending health. At his best, he’s still young (and talented) enough to make a splash and win the job. The biggest question will be health, which has been the story so far in his NFL career.
There’s an outside chance that one of Theo Benedet or Kiran Amegadjie could compete for the starting job. Still, considering the team’s decision in the Divisional Round last year to keep Benedet on the bench for Joe Thuney moving positions, it seems like he’s going to be more of the overall swing offensive lineman, versus being in the conversation to start at left tackle. Amegadjie might still have the talent to develop into a useful player. Still, his continued lack of availability has hurt not only his chances to make an impact but, one could argue, his standing in the roster bubble heading into training camp and the preseason.
When all is said and done, fans should expect a healthy Jones to win the job, but if he falters, keep an eye on Wills. No matter how it plays out, simply getting average play would be a massive win for 2026 while Trapilo gets back to full health.
Center
Center seems like a spot that, no matter how hard the Bears try to fix it, remains a question mark almost every season. When Chicago inked Dalman to a lucrative three-year deal, it’s hard to imagine there were any concerns about him retiring heading into 2026. It’s impossible to fault a player for looking out for their long-term health, but it still came as a shock to everyone around the league. Luckily, the Bears were able to act swiftly, trading for veteran Garrett Bradbury and supplementing that low-cost move with a second-round selection of Logan Jones.
Similar to the battle at left tackle, Bradbury appears to be the clear favorite heading into camp. Head coach Ben Johnson has made it clear on multiple occasions that he values a veteran center, and even if Bradbury has been a below-average player for most of his career, the experience factor is something fans should not discount. In terms of scheme fit, Bradbury fits well with his athleticism and overall experience. The ceiling isn’t anything to write home about, but ultimately, they could do a lot worse if he ends up starting for the majority of the upcoming season.
Jones, on the other hand, is a seasoned player coming from Iowa. Despite his lack of NFL experience, there’s hope within the organization that he’ll hit the ground running at the professional level. He’s got plenty of starting experience (35 starts in three seasons), and for better or for worse, he’s one of the older prospects that came out of April’s draft (he’ll turn 25 in mid-October). While he might not have the same ceiling as former Iowa standout Tyler Linderbaum, the floor appears to be extremely safe with plenty of room to grow into a quality NFL center.
It will be interesting to see how this battle plays out, as the inherent advantage will go to the veteran out of the gate. That said, if Jones proves that he can lead the offense and take charge pre-snap, his overall play, even as a rookie, might be enough to win him the job heading into Week 1. If not, don’t be surprised to see Jones inserted into the starting lineup at some point during the first few months of the season. After all, this coaching staff has shown that they aren’t afraid to mix things up when the time is right.
Running Back 3
Even if this battle isn’t as exciting as ones where a starting job is up for grabs, how they choose to handle the third running back spot is absolutely worth keeping an eye on. Some believe that Roschon Johnson, who is going into a contract year, will be the “favorite” for the role. Others, like me, look at Johnson’s history of limited availability and see this as a great opportunity to move in a different direction. It’s still unclear how many names the Bears will keep on the final 53-man roster, but three seems like a safe bet to start.
Barring an injury to D’Andre Swift or Kyle Monangai, the top two on the depth chart are as set as they can be. Similar to last season, fans should expect a running back-by-committee approach, with Swift seeing more snaps than Monangai. Even so, we’ve seen how injuries happen, and for that reason, the third running back on the roster is an important one. With Eric Bieniemy off to Kansas City for a second stint, Johnson dipped back into his time in Miami, pulling Eric Studesville in for another stretch in Chicago. The 59-year-old running backs coach spent nine years in Miami, gaining experience from head coaches Adam Gase and Mike McDaniel. Only time will tell how much influence he has in Chicago for Johnson’s offense, but anything taken away from McDaniel’s prolific rushing attack would be an added value to the Bears.
Assuming they keep just three players, this competition will come down to four names, including Johnson, Brittain Brown, Salvon Ahmed, and undrafted rookie Coleman Bennett. For my money, this should be a wide-open race, and whoever wins the job will need to strike a balance between contributing on offense and having a noticeable role on special teams. Each player brings something different to the competition, but upside and versatility will be key. For that, I’d deem Ahmed as the early favorite for the job, assuming he can stay healthy.
