The Chicago Bears open the 2020 NFL training camp on July 28 at their team facility. The Bears finished the regular season 8-8 and in third place in the NFC North. The Bears return 19 starters from that team as well as head coach Matt Nagy and coordinators Chuck Pagano (defense) and Chris Tabor (special teams). Here's a 53-player roster projection:
QUARTERBACKS (2): Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky.
The top two quarterbacks are no-brainers. Look for the Bears to keep veteran Tyler Bray or another quarterback on the practice squad for emergency purposes.
RUNNING BACKS (3): David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall.
The only question -- barring injury -- is whether Nall beats out Chicago's undrafted rookie running backs -- Napoleon Maxwell and Artavis Pierce -- for the third slot on the depth chart. Nall spent the last two seasons on the Bears' practice squad before he earned a spot last year on the active roster in Week 10.
WIDE RECEIVERS (6): Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller, Cordarrelle Patterson, Ted Ginn Jr., Riley Ridley and Javon Wims.
Ginn's arrival probably means Ridley, Wims and 2020 fifth-round pick Darnell Mooney will battle for the last two spots. The Bears loathe cutting recent draft picks, so Mooney definitely has a chance to make it. But Wims (6-foot-2, 221 pounds) is a big target who has appeared in 20 career games. Ridley, Chicago's fourth-round pick in 2019, didn't make his NFL debut until Week 13 of his rookie season.
TIGHT ENDS (5): Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet, Demetrius Harris, Ben Braunecker and J.P. Holtz.
It's hard to see former second-round pick Adam Shaheen making the team after three lackluster NFL seasons. Jesper Horsted flashed ability last year and could revert back to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Holtz can also play fullback, so it probably makes sense for Chicago to keep him as the fifth tight end.
OFFENSIVE LINE (8): Cody Whitehair, Charles Leno Jr., Bobby Massie, James Daniels, Germain Ifedi, Jason Spriggs, Rashaad Coward and Alex Bars.
The top seven is essentially set. Ifedi will square off with Coward for the starting right guard spot, but both are expected on the 53. The question is whether Bars makes the squad over seventh-round picks Arlington Hambright or Lachavious Simmons.
DEFENSIVE LINE (6): Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Roy Robertson-Harris, Brent Urban and Abdullah Anderson.
Hicks, Goldman, Nichols and Robertson-Harris are core members of the defensive line. Urban and Anderson get the nod because of experience but neither are assured a roster spot.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (5): Khalil Mack, Robert Quinn, Trevis Gipson, Barkevious Mingo and Isaiah Irving.
Ledarius Mack -- younger brother of Khalil Mack -- signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of Buffalo. The younger Mack could push for the last roster spot at outside linebacker.
INSIDE LINEBACKERS (4): Danny Trevathan, Roquan Smith, Josh Woods and Joel Iyiegbuniwe.
The Bears' depth at inside linebacker took a hit when Nick Kwiatkoski and Kevin Pierre-Louis departed in free agency.
CORNERBACK (6): Kyle Fuller, Jaylon Johnson, Buster Skrine, Kevin Toliver II, Duke Shelley and Artie Burns.
Rookie fifth-round pick Kindle Vildor and former CFL star Tre Roberson will push for the final cornerback spots. Vildor is a speedster who could unseat Shelley (2019 sixth-round pick) as the primary backup to Skrine in the slot.
SAFETY (5): Eddie Jackson, Tashaun Gipson Sr., Deon Bush, Sherrick McManis and Jordan Lucas.
McManis, who played cornerback almost his entire career, just re-signed for $887,500 guaranteed. Lucas, another veteran, is guaranteed to pocket $340,000. That could leave DeAndre Houston-Carson (zero guaranteed money) as the odd man out at safety even though Houston-Carson is valuable on special teams.
SPECIALISTS (3): Eddy Pineiro, Pat O'Donnell and Patrick Scales.
The Bears signed kicker Ramiz Ahmed to compete with Pineiro in camp. But the Bears hope the kicking circus has left town. Pineiro is expected to be the guy again in 2020.