The Most Intriguing Rookie Storylines at Chicago Bears' OTAs
Less than a week after the NFL draft concluded, the Chicago Bears held rookie minicamp from May 8 through May 10. During that three-day stretch, all six of Chicago's draft picks, as well as a plethora of undrafted rookie free agents, got their first taste of life in the NFL.
Following their three-day minicamp, Chicago's rookies will now participate in organized team activities (OTAs), which run in three different intervals in the coming month: May 27-29, June 1-3 and June 8-11.
In OTAs, Chicago's rookies will have a chance to work and compete with the team's veterans before the entire team gets roughly a month off before the start of training camp at the end of July.
What are some of the most intriguing storylines regarding Chicago's rookies as they head into OTAs? We explore that ahead.
Will Eddie Goldman Be the Team's Starting Nose Tackle?
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The Bears are making the move from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense this offseason, and the team drafted a centerpiece for the middle of its defense in Florida State defensive tackle Eddie Goldman.
Goldman has the ability to move outside to play the 5-technique defensive end position, but the team feels his best spot will be inside at the 0-technique nose tackle position.
"He’s a true, low, strong nose tackle. He’s played all over the D-line, I think his best position is nose tackle; I really think he’s natural at that," said general manager Ryan Pace, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
In three years with the Seminoles, Goldman registered 62 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and six sacks. He does not offer much as a pass-rusher, but he is stout against the run, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised the young rookie at the team's minicamp earlier this month.
"We don't feel like he'll get knocked back into our inside linebackers, which is really important," Fangio said, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "That's job 1 for any of the three guys up front. We feel like he's strong and is able to get off blocks and make some plays in there, and hopefully we can get some pass rush out of him, too."
The starting nose tackle position has not been given to Goldman, but he appears to be the front-runner for the position with veteran Jeremiah Ratliff expected to start the season at one of the 5-technique defensive ends positions along with Ray McDonald.
If Goldman proves in OTAs and later on in training camp he can anchor the middle of the defensive line, he should be the team's starting nose tackle come Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
Can Jeremy Langford Win the Backup Running Back Job?
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Matt Forte will once again be the focal point of Chicago's running game this season, but the team added veteran Jacquizz Rodgers in free agency and drafted Michigan State's Jeremy Langford in the fourth round of this year's draft to compete with Ka'Deem Carey to be the team's No. 2 running back.
Rodgers will likely be the team's third-down back this season, leaving Langford and Carey to compete to be Forte's backup.
Before Carey was taken by the Bears in the fourth round last year, he was considered one of the better running backs in the 2014 draft class.
"Highly productive, hard-charging slasher who runs more competitively than he does powerfully and picks up yardage in chunks," NFL.com's Nolan Nawrocki wrote in his scouting report of Carey. "Has some first-round traits and is one of the most instinctive runners in this year's draft class, though his stock could be affected by off-the-field troubles and an average combine showing."
Carey earned the backup running back job out of training camp, but according to Pro Football Focus, he played just 100 snaps last season. He finished the season with just 158 rushing yards on 36 carries, and 14 of his rushing attempts came in Week 4.
He still has a chance to earn the backup job once again out of training camp, but Langford appears to have the upper hand. In two years as a starter for the Spartans, Langford rushed for 2,944 yards on 568 carries and scored 40 touchdowns.
Following the draft, Pro Football Focus' Michael Mountford outlined what Langford can bring to the Bears this season.
"Langford has some talent as runner, he doesn’t excel in any one area, but is consistent, and has the vision and patience to take the right gap when it opens," Mountford wrote.
Langford is not flashy, but he has the ability to break off a long run because of his speed. At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Langford's 4.42-second 40-yard dash was the fastest among all running backs, according to NFL.com.
Langford is guaranteed a spot on Chicago's roster barring any major setbacks this offseason, and he could be in the running for the No. 2 spot behind Forte if he can prove to the coaching staff he can be reliable in pass protection. Carey still has a chance to be a major contributor in 2015, but Langford could push him all the way down to No. 4 on the depth chart with a strong offseason.
Adrian Amos Has a Chance to Be a Playmaker
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The Bears selected Penn State safety Adrian Amos in the fifth round earlier this month, and the former Nittany Lion became the 10th safety selected by the Bears in the last 11 drafts.
Chicago has struggled to find a consistent contributor at the safety position for the better part of this century, but Pace is confident in Amos' abilities.
"He’s played corner, he’s played nickel, he’s played safety, so we like the coverage versatility that he brings," Pace said, according to Dickerson. "This is a high-character guy that’s extremely intelligent, three-year starter and, again, I like the versatility that he’s played multiple positions, so that’s exciting."
Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei attended Chicago's rookie minicamp earlier this month, and he came away impressed by Amos' ability to be a playmaker.
"Adrian Amos looks like he has potential to be an interceptor," Pompei tweeted. "He has range, length, and excellent hands. Made catches away from his body."
In four seasons at Penn State, Amos registered 149 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks and seven interceptions.
Since arriving in Chicago, the young safety has tried to soak everything in.
"I'm just trying to come out, learn the system, give it all I have," Amos said after rookie minicamp, according to Eli Kaberon of ChicagoBears.com. "I plan to learn from everybody. I want to be a sponge out there, learn from each and every player, each and every coach."
The team added veteran safety Antrel Rolle in free agency and has Ryan Mundy and Brock Vereen on the roster, but Amos could push for a starting job this offseason.
Rolle will be one of the team's starters at safety, but the other position appears to be wide-open. Rolle has primarily played free safety in his career, but he does have the ability to play the strong safety position.
Amos projects to be a free safety because of his range and coverage abilities, and while he is not considered to be a physical player, Amos thinks that assessment is untrue.
"I still to this day try to figure out where that comes from because a couple years ago my knock was that I wasn't good in coverage but I will hit you," Amos said, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "That's what I would do, and I would come up and hit you and I was good tackling. Then, out of nowhere, it was speculation that I couldn't tackle just this past year."
It is never easy for a fifth-round pick to earn a starting role out of training camp and the preseason, but a strong showing by Amos in the coming months could push him into the starting lineup come Week 1.
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Bears Are High on Undrafted Quarterback Shane Carden
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The Bears opted not to select a quarterback in this year's draft, but they were happy to sign undrafted free agent Shane Carden.
"He was actually a guy that we had good grades on, a guy that could have potentially been a draft pick," head coach John Fox said, according to Dickerson. "Our scouts, obviously, saw a lot more of him than the coaching staff. But he was productive, smart. He has good moxie, being able to execute in a pass offense that throws the ball quite a bit and was very productive."
In three seasons as the starter at East Carolina, Carden threw for 11,991 yards with 86 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
While he was very productive for the Pirates, he possesses poor mechanics and will need to improve his fundamentals in the NFL in order to stick on the roster.
"He looks like he's throwing a javelin and he is on the wrong side of where we want quarterbacks to be in terms of athleticism, arm strength and accuracy, but his intangibles are way up there," an AFC national scout said about Carden, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "I absolutely love his competitive nature but I wish he had better traits."
Even though Carden has flaws, the Bears like the young quarterback, and he already has the right attitude.
"Right now I'm just learning this playbook as fast as I can, getting down to competing, getting better every day, just showing I can pick this playbook up," Carden said, according to Kaberon. "I'm going to go out there and compete every day."
Carden is known for his good work ethic and his intangibles, but he still has a ways to go before he can be considered a viable option to back up starting quarterback Jay Cutler.
Luckily for Carden, Chicago's front office has no ties to 2014 third-string quarterback David Fales, and Carden is on a level playing field with the former sixth-round pick out of San Jose State. Fales was taken in last year's draft because of his ability to fit into a West Coast offense, but with Marc Trestman no longer in charge, Fales may not be a fit in Chicago anymore.
Like all rookies, Carden will have to prove his worth in training camp this offseason, but based off Fox's comments earlier this month, the team sounds excited to have Carden on the team.
Kevin White Is as Good as Advertised
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The Bears had a need at the wide receiver position after trading Brandon Marshall to the New York Jets earlier this offseason, and they addressed the position in the draft by taking West Virginia's Kevin White with the seventh overall pick.
After drafting White, Pace gushed about the former Mountaineer's potential, saying, according to Dickerson:
"This guy is dynamic. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s ultra-competitive. If I could stress one word for this player: he’s competitive. You see it after the catch. You see it in the way he attacks the ball in the air. This is a dynamic play-maker for our offense. I can probably tell you right now, the most excited guy in the building is [offensive coordinator] Adam Gase upstairs. This is good guys. This is a big-play weapon for us; a competitive tough player. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have him.
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At West Virginia, he registered 144 catches for 1,954 yards with 15 touchdowns, and he has already made an impression on Chicago's coaching staff.
"I like Kevin’s size. I like his speed. I like what we saw on tape coming out," offensive coordinator Adam Gase said, according to Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. "I like the energy he brings to practice. We have such a long way to go but we felt very good drafting him at No. 7."
White still needs to work on his route running, but Pompei—who has covered the NFL and the Bears for over 30 years—had high praise for the young rookie.
"Kevin White easily is the most impressive rookie wide receiver I’ve ever seen walk through the doors at Halas Hall," Pompei tweeted following the team's minicamp.
White worked exclusively on the right side of the formation in West Virginia's high-powered offense, but he knows he will need to get used to lining up all over the field.
"For me, I know I just have to really drill it in inside my head," White said, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. "And really just hit it hard and study. Take my time and kind of be isolated from everyone. I'll be fine."
If White can acclimate himself quickly to Chicago's new offense, he has a chance to thrive in the NFL playing alongside former Pro Bowler Alshon Jeffery.
Statistical information courtesy of Sports-Reference.com and NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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