Chicago Bears roster: Position group previews ahead of training camp

With the Chicago Bears hitting training camp on July 27, we’re taking a deep dive into the roster with position previews to look for.

We are inching forward to the date the Chicago Bears start training camp. The start date is July 27. The team made a lot of moves to try to improve the roster. Some were welcomed while others not so much.

There are still some moves to make before the final roster is finalized. There are cuts to be made and with other teams making their own cuts, there could still be some new faces acquired before the start of Week 1.

The biggest offseason move the Bears made was drafting Justin Fields. Many people feel that he is the franchise quarterback the team has lacked for nearly all of over a century of its existence. After spending most of the offseason in depression over the signing of Andy Dalton and the cut of Kyle Fuller, the fans are excited to see Fields in action.

Additionally, seeing the overhaul of the offensive line is a welcome sight. For far too long, the offensive line has been a weak point of the offense. Now the hope is that the unit makes a big improvement.

We’ll see the battles as training camp and the preseason games progress. In the meantime, let’s preview some of the positions as training camp begins.

Chicago Bears Running Backs

For a big part of the 2020 season, the running back position really struggled. Tarik Cohen had a knee injury and missed a huge chunk of the season. Cordarrelle Patterson played the role of the main backup but he wasn’t very effective. Additionally, head coach Matt Nagy seemed to forget about the running game while he desperately tried to get the passing game going.

Things are different this season.

Starter David Montgomery eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season despite having some poor games (he had games in which he rushed for 27, 29 and 30 yards). With the improvement of the offensive line, he thrived. Now, with an even stronger line to help him, he should have a better season. He hears the whispers about him not being among the best running backs and wants to prove his doubters wrong.

Cohen is back and healthy. He’s ready to be the gadget back that he effectively was in 2018. In order for him to do that, the Bears signed free agent Damien Williams. Williams should be a great backup for Montgomery. He can effectively relieve Montgomery and with him on the field, Cohen can be the back that he successfully played before.

The Bears also have Artavis Pierce, an explosive runner, and Khalil Herbert, their sixth-round pick this year. Herbert is a similar back to Montgomery. He has a great center of gravity and does a great job of breaking tackles. He also is a little bit faster than Montgomery was coming out of college. Both Pierce and Herbert likely see more action as special teams returners than running backs. However, they can see the field in the backfield and get meaningful snaps at times.

This is a deeper running backs unit than the Bears have had for quite some time. There is a good mix of different types of backs and the players should stay fresh throughout the season.