Chicago Bears: 3 Things we learned from 2019 rookie minicamp
The Chicago Bears held their 2019 rookie minicamp over the weekend and here are a few things we learned from the proceedings.
Well, the start of the 2019 NFL regular season may seem far away now, but before we know it the Chicago Bears will begin their quest to defend their NFC North division title and hopefully make a long(er) playoff run. We already had the start of the new year and free agency and we just went through the 2019 NFL draft. Soon we’ll be rooting them on in real games.
The Bears added depth to the roster and made some surprise pickups this offseason. Of course, they didn’t have holes to fill as they did over the past few seasons. They do have one, however. They had a hole at kicker after releasing Cody Parkey, and after bringing in a small village of kickers to try out they still have a hole there. With nearly all the other positions strong, the priority now is to fix the kicking problem.
The Bears made a change at running back as well. They shipped Jordan Howard off to Philadelphia and now have several running backs to help the running game (and the passing game out of the backfield as well).
Related Story. Chicago Bears: Grading every 2019 draft pick. light
In the draft, general manager Ryan Pace again surprised. It is difficult to determine what any general manager does in the draft, but it feels like Pace goes out of his way to surprise the NFL world. He continues to do things his way, whether fans or anyone else feels he’s crazy.
Many expected him to pick up a running back and he picked up two of them. He also picked up a couple of defensive backs. The big surprise, though, was that he also went after a wide receiver, a position that was strong without the addition. He not only added depth, but he also added a player who can make the unit one of the strongest in the league in 2019. He then hit the undrafted rookie circuit and picked up even more prospects who can contribute quickly.
After the draft hoopla wore off, the Bears had their minicamp over the weekend. They got a good look at their new players. Here are three takeaways from that camp.