Identifying Potential Breakout Players for the Chicago Bears' 2012 Season

We've taken a look at the potential breakout players for the Packers and the Lions so far this week, now it's time to set the Bears in our sights.

The Bears have some fascinating position battles going into camp and there are more than a few positions in flux. Some feature players you might not know much about—of course if they were higher profile players, they wouldn't be breaking out so much as playing as we expected them to.

We'll be looking at the wide receivers, secondary and offensive line among other spots today.

Let's get to it.

Gabe Carimi, OT

I wrote a piece yesterday about how the injury to Jay Cutler against the San Diego Chargers scuttled the Bears' season—but one could also point to the injury of then-rookie Gabe Carimi.

It certainly caused a cascade effect, as the line never stopped reshuffling all season long.

Carimi was reportedly looking very good prior to his injury, and offensive coordinator Mike Tice said the tackle should be back before the end of OTA's in mid-June.

For the moment, Carimi is set to be the right tackle, though it begs the real question of what the Bears are going o do at the left tackle spot.

Carimi should be very good at the right tackle spot and I wouldn't be shocked if he was moved to left tackle in the event that J'Marcus Webb or Chris Williams struggles.

Having already worked in a pro-style offense at Wisconsin, it's not a surprise that Carimi began to impress last season and the same should hold true this year. He is a strong and aggressive run blocker—something sorely needed considering how poor the line was at run-blocking in 2011.

Carimi is also excellent in pass protection, with good athleticism and the ability to mirror an opponent effectively. He doesn't get fooled by shifting schemes either—he stays home the way he needs to.

Whether at right or left tackle, Carimi's total ability to play the position will come through on a line that desperately needs it.

Alshon Jeffery, WR

One of the things I and The Go Route's Aaron Nagler debated this week was the wide receiver position for Chicago—most notably the second spot.

While I am nowhere near as enthused by Jeffery as our own Matt Miller is, I do disagree with Aaron about how quickly Jeffery can step in.

As I say in the video—you don't keep a playmaker like Jeffery on the bench, especially in an offense which has lacked a playmaker since before Ken Kavanaugh (well maybe not that long ago).

Jeffery is a tremendous athlete and the biggest knock on him has been weight—which has been taken care of and I guarantee you is being watched like a hawk in camp.

When you compare him to guys like the reliable, but average Earl Bennett, the injured Johnny Knox and the maybe-this-year-is-it Devin Hester, I cannot imagine any of those guys keeping him on the bench for long.

Jeffery is a baller with great hands, good speed and will be the best bet to take advantage of the matchups he will get when teams are doubling up on Brandon Marshall.

This is a guy who will step in right away and have a tremendous impact.

Kellen Davis, TE

Credit where credit is due: just a couple of months ago, Jay Cutler said that Kellen Davis can be an elite tight end. I think Cutler is right.

Davis is a big, athletic tight end who hasn't done much so far in part because the scheme the Bears played under Mike Martz was allergic to tight end passes.

Will the new Mike Tice offense work the tight ends more?

Tice was head coach for the Vikings from 2001 (for a game) to 2005. During that time, his tight ends were big pass targets. In the single year he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterbacks rarely involved their tight end in passing plays, a trend which began well before Tice's arrival.

We talk about Tice working as an offensive line coach before, but we forget he also worked as a tight ends coach. He knows what makes them tick and understands that a good tight end can make a defense's life more complicated.

Davis doesn't need 1,500 yards and 30 touchdowns to break out. His impact will come with effective use of his abilities—his speed, his receiving, his willingness to make a tough catch across the field.

When the defense starts having to account for him as well, things will open up significantly.

Brandon Hardin, S

The Bears' secondary wasn't awful, but it wasn't fantastic by any stretch, especially at safety.

Major Wright and Chris Conte did OK, but neither is irreplaceable. You can argue that Conte, in his first year, did fine for a rookie, but Major Wright has had some injury issues since going Pro and is pretty unreliable.

Hardin is a tall, strong guy with a natural feel for the game and good instincts in zone. He's not afraid to come up and assist against the run and is great at reading a play whether it's a run or pass.

Most of all, unlike Wright, Hardin is a durable player. When he gets on the field, it's rare that he ever needs to come off.

He'll get plenty of action in a division with some of the best quarterbacks in the league, and Hardin will show that he has what it takes to be a tremendous safety at the pro level.

Chris Conte, S

As I just mentioned talking about Hardin, if someone is losing their job at safety, I expect it to be Wright. Conte wasn't spectacular last season—his first—but received enough experience to vault him above where he ended up last year.

Conte is tall, shows good field vision and can be a physical and aggressive player when he needs to be. While he didn't generate too many turnovers or tackles, that will change as he sees the field more.

You can't make things happen from the bench—this season Conte won't have that problem.