Ranking Chicago Bears' Top 5 Sleepers to Watch in Camp
Much of the focus later this month at Chicago Bears training camp will be centered on big-name players like quarterback Jay Cutler, outside linebacker Jared Allen and free safety Antrel Rolle, but there are some sleepers to keep an eye on once training camp begins.
Every year, a player seemingly comes out of nowhere in the NFL to make a big impact, and the Bears are hoping they have someone on their roster who can break out in 2015.
Linebacker Christian Jones went undrafted in 2014, but the young linebacker used a strong training camp last offseason to earn a spot on the roster. He started five games last season for the Bears and finished the year with 69 tackles and two sacks. Jones is now competing for one of the open starting inside linebacker jobs this offseason.
Not every young, unheralded player will come out of nowhere to make an impact for the Bears in 2015, but the team does have a handful of players who are currently looked at as sleepers to make the roster this season.
Just ahead, we rank the top five sleepers to keep an eye on in Bears training camp based off their potential and ability to make an impact in 2015.
5. WR Joshua Bellamy
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The Bears traded receiver Brandon Marshall this offseason but added veteran Eddie Royal in free agency and drafted West Virginia's Kevin White to give quarterback Jay Cutler two more weapons on offense.
The top of Chicago's depth chart at wide receiver is set in stone with Alshon Jeffery, Royal and White, but the final two spots at the position are still up for grabs.
Third-year man Marquess Wilson looks to be the team's best option as the No. 4 wide receiver, meaning the No. 5 wide receiver spot will be one of the team's toughest battles this offseason.
The team added undrafted free agents Cameron Meredith, Ify Umodu and Levi Norwood this offseason to compete with John Chiles, Rashad Lawrence, Marc Mariani and Joshua Bellamy for one of the final spots on the roster.
Of that group, only Mariani has recorded a catch in the NFL, but Bellamy has a chance to be a sleeper this offseason.
Bellamy attended Louisville and recorded 53 catches for 681 yards with seven touchdowns in two seasons with the Cardinals. He went undrafted in 2012 and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs that offseason.
He spent the majority of the 2012 season on Kansas City's practice squad, but he was added to the active roster in early December.
He was released the following summer and was signed to the San Diego Chargers' practice squad in September 2013. After he was released by the Chargers later that year, the Washington Redskins signed him to their practice squad that November.
He joined the Bears in April 2014 and was active for four games last season. He has not recorded a catch in the NFL, and according to Pro Football Focus, he played the first 11 snaps of his career on offense last season.
Bellamy did not put up big numbers while at Louisville, but he was a reliable receiver who possessed good hands and had a quick burst off the line of scrimmage. He lacks the speed to get open deep down the field, but he is not afraid to attack the football in the air.
The biggest asset Bellamy brings to the team is his ability on special teams. He appeared on special teams in three games last season, and that experience should help him this offseason.
Bellamy is not a polished receiver, but if he can clean up his route running and become more consistent, he has a chance to be a surprise selection for the final wide receiver spot on the roster in 2015.
4. NT Terry Williams
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The Bears drafted Florida State's Eddie Goldman in the second round of this year's draft to play nose tackle in the team's new 3-4 defense, but the team lacks much depth behind him at the position.
Veteran lineman Jeremiah Ratliff has experience playing the nose tackle in a 3-4 defense, but he may be needed on the outside at the 5-technique defensive end position following the release of defensive end Ray McDonald in May.
The only other defensive lineman on the roster with experience playing the 0-technique nose tackle position is undrafted rookie Terry Williams.
A standout at East Carolina, Williams finished his collegiate career with 125 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and three sacks. He was used primarily as a space-eating, two-gap nose tackle, and he gives the Bears much-needed size (6'1", 322 lbs) up the middle.
He was invited to Chicago's rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, and the young lineman impressed the coaching staff enough to earn a contract.
“My mindset was just to give it my all,” he said, according to Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “I just wanted to leave here with no regrets. In my mind, I know I’m a good football player. I really feel like I can play in this league. I just took the tryout route.”
One reason why he went undrafted this offseason was due to concerns about his weight. According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Williams weighed as much as 353 pounds in 2014, but the Bears currently list him at 322 pounds.
Williams was at his best early in his career when he played closer to 320 pounds, but he struggled in 2014 due to his weight gain.
If Williams can stick around 320 pounds, he has a chance to earn playing time this season at the nose tackle position behind Goldman and Ratliff. He still needs to work on his conditioning, but he has the ability to collapse the pocket as a pass-rusher or take up space against the run.
3. DE Cornelius Washington
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The Bears drafted Georgia defensive end/outside linebacker Cornelius Washington in the sixth round of the 2013 draft, but he appeared in just two games his rookie season and recorded one tackle.
He appeared in 13 games last season and finished the year with nine tackles and one sack. During his time with the Bulldogs, Washington played both defensive end and outside linebacker, and he finished his collegiate career with 76 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks.
He was viewed as a raw player coming out of the draft, but one draft analyst thought highly of the Bears' decision to take Washington in the sixth round.
"One of my favorite players," said NFL Network's Mike Mayock, via NFL.com. "He's a little bit one-dimensional. But you put him on the edge and ask him to hunt quarterbacks. I really like what Chicago has done."
Washington's size (6'4", 265 lbs) lends well to the 3-4 outside linebacker position, but the team's official website currently lists him as a defensive lineman. He appeared to be an ideal candidate to move to outside linebacker in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's 3-4 scheme, but the Bears appear to be intrigued by his ability at defensive end.
The Bears lack proven depth at the 5-technique defensive end position, and Washington has a chance to earn a spot in the team's rotation this summer. Veteran Jarvis Jenkins is the only defensive end on the roster who has experience playing the 5-technique, while 2014 draft picks Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton are making the transition from defensive tackle to defensive end this offseason.
Five-technique defensive ends need to be strong at the point of attack and aggressive against the run, and Washington will have to prove this offseason he can be more than just a pass-rusher.
He has great length and speed for the position, but he needs to be stronger against the run. He showed flashes of his potential against the run last season, but according to Pro Football Focus, he finished the 2014 season with a minus-0.1 grade against the run.
If the Bears feel comfortable with Jenkins, Ferguson and Sutton on the outside against the run, Washington could find a role as a situational pass-rusher. Fangio likes to create confusion before the snap, and Washington has the ability to move back and forth between defensive end and outside linebacker.
Washington should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself in training camp and the preseason, and he has a chance to earn a prominent role in 2015 if he can show improvement against the run.
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2. G Vladimir Ducasse
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The right guard position in Chicago could potentially be up for grabs in training camp if the Bears opt to permanently move Kyle Long to right tackle.
Back in early June, the Bears used Long at right tackle for the first time in OTAs, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
After the OTA session concluded, head coach John Fox explained why Long got reps at right tackle.
“We’re out here trying to get better as a team, learn a new system,” Fox said, according to CBSChicago.com's Dan Durkin. “We had a shortage of tackles right now. We have a couple of guys in the training room. So we took a look at him there.”
Long continued to get reps on the outside at right tackle, and he even took some reps at left tackle, according to Biggs.
The two-time Pro Bowl guard is a good fit on the outside at tackle because of his combination of strength and athleticism. If the Bears opt to keep him on the outside at right tackle, veteran guard Vladimir Ducasse has a chance to earn Long's old job this offseason.
When the Bears used Long at right tackle in OTAs, Ducasse lined up at right guard with the first-team offense, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
The New York Jets drafted Ducasse in the second round of the 2010 draft, and the young guard made five starts in four seasons with the Jets before signing a one-year deal with Minnesota last offseason. He appeared in 13 games with six starts for the Vikings in 2014.
According to Pro Football Focus, he played 417 snaps last season and finished with a minus-14.1 overall grade. He allowed four sacks, one quarterback hit and nine quarterback hurries.
Ducasse will battle with Ryan Groy, Michael Ola and Conor Boffeli for the starting right guard position if Long is placed at right tackle, but the fact that he has already received reps with the first team is telling.
Both Ola and Groy made starts for the Bears last season, but the new coaching staff appears to favor Ducasse's game at right guard. He is strong and powerful at the point of attack and is good in the power-running game. He is more athletic than he gets credit for, and he could excel in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's scheme.
While many may think Ola or Groy has a better shot of earning the right guard spot, Ducasse looks to be a sleeper for the position because of the reps he has already received this offseason.
1. OLB David Bass
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Often overshadowed by guys like Allen, Willie Young and Lamarr Houston this offseason, outside linebacker David Bass impressed during Chicago's OTAs earlier this year.
"If I had to bet on a Bears breakout player, it might be David Bass," tweeted Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei. "He had a strong showing. This might be [the] scheme for him, and [the] door is open."
Bass spent the first two years of his career in Chicago as a 4-3 defensive end, but he has a chance to break out in 2015 as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Bass jumped back and forth between the 53-man roster and the practice squad between 2013 and 2014 and appeared in 20 games with two starts during that time.
He appeared in 12 games his rookie season and finished the year with 23 tackles, one sack, one interception and one defensive touchdown. Last year, he recorded a career-high three sacks and finished the season with 10 tackles in three games.
The former Missouri Western State star looked out of sorts playing with his hand in the ground as a defensive end, but Fox has been impressed with how well Bass has adapted to his new position this offseason.
"I think he’s worked very hard," Fox said about Bass, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "[Outside linebackers coach] Clint Hurtt and Vic [Fangio] have done a good job working with those guys and teaching them. I think sometimes new is better, and he’s taken to it pretty well."
Earlier this offseason, Bass explained how his role has changed now that he is playing outside linebacker.
"The major difference for me is more responsibility,” Bass told Jeremy Stoltz of BearReport.com. “I get to rush, I get to drop and play the run all from a two-point [stance]. Versus a 4-3 where the majority of the time we’re outside contain. We may have games and stunts where I come inside. We get to open up a little bit more.”
As a 4-3 defensive end, Bass was not given the opportunity to show off his athleticism, but he will be able to move around a lot as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
The Bears added outside linebacker Pernell McPhee in free agency to help anchor the position in 2015 and beyond, meaning Bass will be competing with Allen, Houston and Young for playing time on the outside.
Houston and Young are both coming off season-ending injuries, and it is not known when they will return to the practice field this offseason. Like Bass, Allen is making the transition from 4-3 defensive end to 3-4 outside linebacker this offseason, but Allen will likely only be used as a situational pass-rusher this season.
If Houston and Young are forced to stay on the sidelines for an extended period of time during training camp and the preseason, Bass has a chance to begin the season as one of the team's starting outside linebackers.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Measurables courtesy of ChicagoBears.com.
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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