Chicago Bears Training Camp 2024: 5 Players who must impress

As Chicago Bears training camp progresses some players need to impress to stay on the team. Here are five of them.

With the Chicago Bears in training camp, the players will soon begin to hit and prepare for the season. They will go about trying to fill the roles the coaches have for them. After the flurry of moves General Manager Ryan Poles made this offseason, he said he was proud that it is more difficult to make this team.

There is a heck of a lot more talent on this team. There is talent in all phases of the game. The defense is on the brink of becoming an elite unit. The offense looks like it could put up a lot of points on the scoreboard. Even the special teams is looking special. Rookie punter Tory Taylor could make a big difference, Cairo Santos will continue to be his dependable self, and several kick and punt returners can make a big impact this season.

Things are tough even for backup jobs. This team is deep in many spots. While a lot of starting jobs are already settled, there will be plenty of competition for reserve jobs. It is crucial to have quality backup players to help keep the starters fresh or to step up when a starter goes down due to an injury.

There are some players currently on this roster who might have made it in the past because of the lack of talent. They will need to step up their game if they want to stay on this roster. The coaching staff has a more difficult job of picking the players. With the number of talented players on the roster, players need to be more impressive to attract attention.

Here are five players who need to step up or find themselves looking for another job.

Doug Kramer, Center

Since Poles came to the Chicago Bears he has made a point to add more local players. It gives the fans more pride in cheering for players who were among them.

was one of those players. He grew up in Hinsdale, went to Hinsdale Central High School, and attended the University of Illinois.

There were high hopes for Kramer when the Chicago Bears drafted him. They wanted him to battle for the center job. Things have not worked out for him, however. In his rookie season, he suffered an injury that shut down his entire year. He has not been able to really recover since then.

Kramer spent most of last season on the practice squad. He got to play in two games. However, he was in on only five total snaps. Three of them were on special teams.

Despite having struggles at the center spot, the Bears decided to trade a valuable draft pick on Ryan Bates and sign free agent Coleman Shelton to fight for the center spot. Additionally, there are reports that they may be in on Connor Williams for the job as well. That leaves Kramer outside looking in. He may just be another body in training camp. Perhaps his best chance is going the practice squad route again.

Khari Blasingame, Fullback

The Chicago Bears went full old school by having Khari Blasingame at fullback. He is a good fullback and had some good moments with the Bears. However, this new offensive system is not conducive to having a fullback.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron likes to use two tight end sets. That does not leave room for a fullback. In fact, he did not have a fullback when he was the offensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks. That does not bode well for Blasingame.

The Chicago Bears have two excellent tight ends in Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett. Additionally, they have three very good running backs. Waldron has to find snaps for them so having a fullback cuts into that. Parting ways with Blasingame would give the coaches an extra player elsewhere who can be more helpful.

Larry Borom, Offensive Line

Things do not look good for Larry Borom. Since the Chicago Bears drafted him in 2021, he has done everything they asked of him. He played both tackles spots and played guard as well. He has stepped up and tried to do what he could to contribute. He is now squarely on the bubble, however.

In 2022, Borom was the starting right tackle. However, the Bears selected Darnell Wright with the tenth overall pick. He took over as the starting right tackle. Borom played in reserve and even started six games due to injuries along the offensive line. He struggled mightily, though.

In those six starts, Borom allowed three sacks. Additionally, the Chicago Bears signed Matt Pryor and he could take over as the swing tackle. It will be interesting to see what Kiran Amegadjie’s injury designation means for Borom. Could that be a life-saver for him? He would have to be incredibly good during training camp for that to happen. The writing is on the wall.

Dominique Robinson, Defensive End

Defensive end Dominique Robinson is an extremely athletic player. He was a wide receiver in high school. In college, he switched positions and became a pass rusher. When the Chicago Bears drafted him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, they knew he was a project.

Robinson exploded out of the gate. In his first professional game, he has 1.5 sacks. The thinking was that Poles was onto something with this pick. Things have not gone as well since, though. In his next 27 games, he recorded just half a sack. Moreover, the team had him inactive for six straight weeks in the middle of the season last year.

The “project” label is no longer appropriate for Robinson. He has to show that he deserves to be on this team. He needs a big training camp to reverse his misfortune. If he doesn’t, the Chicago Bears will part ways with him.

Velus Jones, Jr, Wide Receiver/Returner

People have been predicting Velus Jones’ impending doom for a while now. To be fair, he has not done a lot to show that he deserves to be on the team. From the moment he was drafted in the third round, he was controversial. Many analysts had him graded as a fifth-round prospect.

Then, in his rookie season, he muffed not one, but two punts that helped the Chicago Bears lose games. That drew the fans’ ire even more. Throw in the fact that he has more career rushing yards (154) than receiving yards (127) and you understand why many of the fans want him out.

What Jones has done well, though, is kickoff return. In both his seasons, he has been among the league leaders in kickoff return yards. He has blazing speed and good vision when he has the ball. It shows when he returns kickoffs.

The NFL changed the return rules for this season. Returners will now have more opportunities to make returns. That would make Jones very dangerous. However, other players can benefit from the rule change and could also contribute elsewhere.

The Chicago Bears signed DeAndre Carter. He could be an excellent returner who can also be very helpful as a wide receiver. There is also Ian Wheeler. He was an undrafted rookie. However, he was a good returner in college. Also, he can contribute as a running back.

Jones will find it difficult to find a spot on the offense. The Chicago Bears have second-year man Tyler Scott. Scott has great speed as well. It will be tough for Jones to contribute if the Bears prefer Scott. This is what The Bleacher Report had when comparing Jones and Scott.

Jones’ speed could be an asset to the offense, but he has not received much of a chance to prove himself and the Bears may be more willing to use Tyler Scott in that role.

Jones will have to have a big training camp by contributing as a wide receiver. He cannot be a one-trick pony and expect to make this Chicago Bears roster.

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