With the Chicago Bears beginning their OTAs this week, now feels like a good time to make some depth chart predictions. Some of this will be bound to change once training camp begins and we get a better idea of the roster's strengths and weaknesses, but at least a few position groups can be safely set in stone.
Quarterbacks
There's no mystery to this one: Caleb Williams will be QB1 in 2024. Head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed this earlier this month. After Williams, Tyson Bagent will likely reprise his role as QB2 and the backup quarterback should Williams ever have to leave a game. He played this role well in 2023 when he kept the team afloat in Justin Fields' absence, going 2-2 in the games he started.
That leaves us with veteran Brett Rypien and undrafted rookie Austin Reed out of Western Kentucky. Reed is an interesting addition and is like the Tyson Bagent of this year. Still, I doubt he'll be able to unseat either Bagent or Rypien, who has experience with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and will likely be the QB3, assuming the Bears carry an inactive QB3 on the roster again.
Running Backs
Unfortunately for Khalil Herbert, he did not seem to do enough in 2023 to keep his RB1 role. The Bears spent big money immediately after free agency opened up, bringing in former Eagle and Lion D'Andre Swift on a three-year, $24.5 million deal. Barring injury, Swift will be RB1 in 2024, with Herbert likely to be the change-of-pace RB2.
That leaves us with Roschon Johnson as RB3. After an underwhelming rookie season in 2023, he did not show enough to take snaps over the veteran Herbert, though that may change in training camp. The biggest question for this group will be whether Waldron wants to carry a fullback; that will determine the roster fate of Khari Blasingame.
Wide Receivers
After a career year in 2023 and as a returning veteran, DJ Moore is a lock for that WR1 position and will likely be Williams' top target in 2024. Keenan Allen will likely be WR2, given his veteran status ahead of the rookie Rome Odunze, who will take the WR3 spot.
The next three spots are where it gets interesting. After their rookie minicamp, the Bears signed a former teammate of Caleb Williams, John Jackson III. He never put up serious stats in college but the two of them appear to be close friends. Will that be enough to get him a roster spot? We'll know more after training camp, but for now, I'll say no. Right now, I give those last three roster spots to Velus Jones Jr., Tyler Scott, and Dante Pettis.
Tight Ends
Once again, Cole Kmet will be the TE1 in Chicago, a position he's earned over the years that he won't relinquish for a long time. Gerald Everett, the former Charger, should be TE2 given his prowess as a pass catcher. He should be a seamless fit in Waldron's offense.
After those two, there's not much to write home about. I'd expect Stephen Carlson, returning from last season, to be TE3, with Brendan Bates, an undrafted rookie from Kentucky, to bring up the rear.
Offensive Line
Four of the five starting spots on the OL should be considered locks, with Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Nate Davis, and Darnell Wright all heavy favorites to retain their starting jobs from 2023. Who will start at Center is the only real question: Ryan Bates or Coleman Shelton?
Given his resume, Shelton would seem like the early favorite, but Chicago GM Ryan Poles appears to be a big fan of Bates. He tried to sign him in 2022, but the Buffalo Bills matched his tender offer and traded a 5th-round pick for him earlier this year. I'll project Bates to be the starting Center in Week 1, but I would not be terribly surprised if it's Shelton.
The second unit will likely consist of rookie Kiran Amegadjie, Ja'Tyre Carter, Coleman Shelton, Bill Murray, and Larry Borom, from left to right.
