Chicago Bears Training Camp: Week 1 Stock Report
The Chicago Bears have spent the last week in Bourbonnais, Illinois, for training camp, and the team has held six practices during that time.
The Bears did not wear pads in the team's first two practices, but they held their first padded practice of the offseason on August 1. Head coach John Fox was pleased with the team's effort, but he is looking forward to seeing more out of his players moving forward.
"The effort was really good," Fox said about the team's first padded practice, per Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "It's always sloppy the first day because they haven't done it for a whole year, but the effort was good, the intent was good and we'll get a little bit better on the technique as we go."
It is hard to get a good gauge of where the team is heading after just one week of training camp and only a handful of padded practices, but there have been several players who have stood out for both good and bad reasons.
Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling after Chicago's first week of training camp?
Falling: WR Kevin White
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The Bears selected West Virginia's Kevin White in the first round of this year's draft, but the young receiver was forced to sit out the team's mandatory minicamp back in June with an undisclosed injury.
"Everybody's day to day with me," Fox said about White at the time, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "I'll meet with the medical people and we'll make that call, and he'll be out here when he's ready."
White ended up missing all of minicamp, but there was hope he would be ready for the start of training camp late last month. When the Bears reported for camp, general manager Ryan Pace said White would begin training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
"Kevin has a shin injury that we told him to stay off of the last month," said Pace, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. "We want to kind of have a ramp-up phase in regards to his cardio. So we're going to start him off on PUP to kind of build his cardiovascular endurance."
White has been limited to cardio work and observing practice from the sidelines, and Fox said he is not sure when the young receiver will return.
“I’m looking at it day-to-day. I can’t predict,” Fox said, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. “Sooner rather than later is what I hope, but that’s just a hope.”
White has not spoken about his injury, but the longer he sits out, the tougher it is going to be for him to find a role on offense in 2015. With White unable to practice, guys like Marquess Wilson and Eddie Royal have received more reps at the position.
If White returns to the practice field within the next couple of days, it will not be that difficult for him to catch up on offense. However, if he is out for an extended period of time, he may struggle to find a role this season in coordinator Adam Gase's offense.
Rising: WR Marquess Wilson
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With White on the sidelines due to his shin injury, Wilson has had an opportunity to play with the first-team offense, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune.
Wilson was the front-runner for Chicago's No. 3 receiver job last summer, but he broke his clavicle in training camp diving for a pass. Wilson missed the first nine games of the season but finished the year with 17 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.
The third-year receiver appeared to be the odd man out once the Bears drafted White, but Wilson knew he needed to work hard this offseason even before White's injury.
“You’ve got to prove yourself no matter what,” Wilson said in June, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “I don’t really feel like I’m a forgotten man. I just gotta come out where and work like everybody else.”
Fox came away from OTAs and minicamp impressed with Wilson's performance.
“Like most of the guys, he’s worked very hard, made some grabs and caught the coaches’ eyes in these offseason workouts,” Fox said, per Finley.
With White on the sidelines, Wilson has made the most of his opportunities early on in training camp.
"Don't go to sleep on Marquess Wilson," tweeted Bleacher Report's Dan Pompei. "He caught a little guff from [QB Jay Cutler] Monday for stopping on a route, but he's having a nice camp."
The Bears drafted Wilson in the seventh round of the 2013 draft after he left Washington State early due to an issue with the coaching staff. Wilson showed off his strong hands and ability to make big plays down the field in his three seasons with the Cougars, but he was still relatively raw when the Bears drafted him.
In the limited snaps he has seen in the NFL, he has shown a willingness to go across the middle, the ability to work back toward the football and that he can make catches in traffic.
He still has a way to go with his development, but if White continues to sit out, Wilson could begin the season as a starter on the outside opposite of Alshon Jeffery.
Falling: NT Eddie Goldman
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The Bears used their second-round pick in this year's draft on nose tackle Eddie Goldman, but the 332-pound lineman has struggled with his conditioning during the first week of training camp.
"Eddie Goldman left practice today because of dehydration," tweeted WGN Radio's Adam Hoge last Friday.
Goldman addressed the issue with the media the next day.
“I wasn’t drinking enough water,” Goldman said, according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “[I’ll] drink more water, that’s it."
Dehydration is not that uncommon among big defensive linemen during the early portions of training camp, but Goldman spent his collegiate career playing at Florida State.
“The thing was, when I was in Tallahassee [Florida], it was raining a lot, thunderstorms and all that,” Goldman said, per Jahns. “I worked out inside a lot.”
Missing a practice or two due to dehydration should not be that big of a concern for Goldman, but if he cannot keep himself in shape for the long haul, it will be difficult for him to make a big impact in coordinator Vic Fangio's defense this season.
"Eddie Goldman is not yet in NFL shape," tweeted Dan Durkin of CBSChicago.com. "Needs to get his legs and cardio right for a 16-game grind."
Goldman is strong and powerful at the point of attack, is a great fit at the 0-technique nose tackle position in Fangio's system and has a chance to solidify himself as a starter this season with a strong training camp.
Despite Goldman's struggles with his conditioning, fellow defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff has been impressed with the young rookie this offseason.
"Eddie needs to just keep doing what he's been doing," Ratliff said, per Mayer. "He's been playing hard; great leverage, great hands, strong guy, powerful. He can eat up two and sometimes three blockers. You see how big he is, and he'll be good."
There is no denying Goldman's ability as a nose tackle, but unless he can improve his conditioning in the coming weeks, he is going to have a hard time becoming anything more than a rotational player along the defensive line in his rookie season.
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Rising: LB Christian Jones
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Linebacker Christian Jones went undrafted last offseason, but the Bears quickly signed him following the 2014 draft. He appeared in all 16 games last season and finished the year with 69 tackles and two sacks.
Jones showed off his combination of athleticism and toughness last season, and veteran Ryan Mundy likes what he has seen from the former Florida State standout in training camp, according to Dickerson:
"We call him 'Cheese.' Cheese is a good dude and knows how to play physical. That's his best asset. He's a big, strong, fast guy who can cover a lot of ground. We're going to be expecting a lot from him. So far, he's been doing a great job. [Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin once told me that the biggest growth you want to see from a guy is from year one to Year 2. It should be like night and day. So far, Christian is doing a great job.
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Jones plays well against the run and has the ability to rush the passer from the inside, but he needs to improve against the pass. Despite his struggles against the pass, Fangio likes Jones' upside.
“[Jones has] got good size,” Fangio said, according to Jahns. “He’s got good athletic ability. He’s a young, eager guy, and football’s important to him. He’s got a bright future if he can develop.”
Chicago's two starting inside linebacker jobs are currently wide-open, and Jones' versatility makes him a front-runner for one of the two starting jobs. The Bears could use him at the "Mike" linebacker position because of his ability against the run, or they could use him at the "Jack" linebacker position because of his ability to apply pressure to the quarterback.
Even though he appears to be a front-runner for the position, Jones knows he needs to keep improving.
“Probably the hardest thing for anybody is being consistent in what you do,” he said, per Wiederer. “Every day you go out there you’ve got to try to stay the same or get better. You don’t want to take a step backwards. You always want to move forward or find something you need to work on.”
If Jones continues to work hard and can make plays when he is on the field in the preseason, he will begin the year as one of Chicago's starters at inside linebacker.
Rising: G Matt Slauson
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The Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Matt Slauson in 2013, and he started all 16 games at left guard that season. He began last season as the team's starter on the left side, but a rash of injuries forced him to miss 11 games in 2014.
He suffered a sprained ankle early in the season and was placed on injured reserve after tearing his pectoral muscle in the middle of the year. He spent the majority of the 2014 season watching his team struggle from the sidelines, and he is excited to be back in training camp.
"This is the first year of my career where I'm extremely juiced up to be in camp," he said, according to Bob LeGere of the Daily Herald. "I'm just stoked and real excited to get the physicality going, flying around, punching, all the things I love to do."
During one of the team's first practices late last week, Slauson showed off his physicality in one-on-one drills.
"Matt Slauson by far the most impressive offensive lineman in one-on-one drills," tweeted BearReport.com's Jeremy Stoltz. "Stonewalled Jeremiah Ratliff two snaps in a row."
Ratliff is arguably Chicago's most physical defensive lineman, and Slauson had his way with him two snaps in row last Saturday morning.
Slauson has been overshadowed the last two seasons because of the emergence of Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long, but he was one of the team's best offensive linemen when he was healthy in 2013.
According to Pro Football Focus, Slauson finished the 2013 season with a plus-21.8 overall grade, sixth-best among all guards. He also allowed just two sacks, nine quarterback hits and 15 quarterback hurries that season.
The veteran guard received praise from Long last week.
"When you have Matt Slauson, he's a guy that does everything right," Long said, per LeGere. "He's a true character and also a true pro and a veteran. It's great to have him in that [position meeting] room."
Slauson does not have to earn his starting job this offseason, but he has had the right attitude since reporting for camp. Along with his good attitude, Slauson has been dominant on the practice fields. If he can stay healthy in 2015, he could earn himself a trip to the Pro Bowl after the season ends.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.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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