Chicago Bears Training Camp: 5 Early Storylines to Watch

It has been over a month since the Chicago Bears held their final mandatory minicamp practice, but the team will kick off training camp in less than two weeks.

During Chicago's minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs), players were not allowed to wear pads and could not tackle, but that all changes once training camp begins. Most teams do not allow tackling in training camp, but the offensive linemen and defensive linemen get an opportunity to hit one another at just about every practice.

The Bears will hold their first training camp practice on July 30, and the team will spend the majority of its time on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois until camp concludes on August 15.

Chicago has a new general manager in Ryan Pace, a new head coach in John Fox and over 40 new players on the roster, meaning there are plenty of storylines surrounding the Bears as they head into training camp.

What are five storylines to keep an eye on in the coming weeks? We explore that ahead.

Will Martellus Bennett Be at Training Camp?

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Tight end Martellus Bennett was named to his first career Pro Bowl following the 2014 season, and he decided to sit out Chicago's voluntary minicamp and OTAs this offseason, with the hopes of securing a new contract.

The Bears did not flinch, and Bennett rejoined the team for its mandatory minicamp last month.

"I think everybody should be lobbying for new contracts," Bennett said after his first offseason practice, according to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. "If your performance is at a high level and you're performing to a high level, then you want to be compensated for the level that you're playing at."

Bennett signed a four-year, $20.4 million contract with the Bears in 2013, and he is set make $4.9 million in base salary this season. 

The veteran tight end plans on being at training camp, but he said anything can happen between now and the start of camp.

"Yeah [I plan to be at camp]," Bennett said, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com. "[But] there is always a possibility [I won't be at camp]. I take it one day at a time."

Bennett registered a career high in catches (90), yards (916) and touchdowns (6) last season, but he has been fairly inconsistent throughout his career.

He burst onto the scene his rookie year in Dallas in 2008 and finished the year with four touchdown catches. Over the course of the next four seasons, Bennett failed to score another touchdown with the Cowboys and signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in 2012.

He started all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2012 and finished that season with 55 catches for 626 yards and five touchdowns. He parlayed his one season with the Giants into a sizable contract with the Bears, and he finished his first year in Chicago in 2013 with 65 catches for 759 yards with five touchdowns.  

Bennett was a key part of Chicago's offense last season, and he could have an even bigger role this year in offensive coordinator Adam Gase's system.  

Julius Thomas spent his first two seasons in Denver as a backup before exploding onto the scene in 2013 in Gase's offense. Between 2013 and 2014, with Gase as his offensive coordinator, Thomas caught 108 passes for 1,277 yards with 24 touchdowns. 

Gase knew how to get Thomas open in the middle of the field by creating mismatches, and the former Portland State tight end became a force in the red zone.

It is easy to see why Bennett wants to make more money this season, but if he can put up numbers similar to the numbers Thomas put up in Denver under Gase, he has a chance to sign a big contract next offseason.

Competition at the Center Position

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Veteran offensive lineman Roberto Garza manned the center position for the Bears from 2011 to 2014, but he was released by the team earlier this offseason. Following Garza's release, the Bears moved quickly and signed veteran Will Montgomery to a one-year contract.

Carolina selected Montgomery in the seventh round of the 2006 draft, and the veteran center has played for the Panthers, New York Jets, Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos in his career. 

He played for Fox in both Carolina and Denver, and he said his familiarity with his former head coach helped influence his decision to sign in Chicago.

“I’m familiar with the coaching staff, strength staff—the head guy here was the assistant in Denver—so it’s kind of like a home away from home here,” Montgomery said this offseason, according to Arthur Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com.

The Bears signed Montgomery in early April, and he appeared to be the front-runner for the starting center job in 2015 before the team drafted Oregon's Hroniss Grasu in the third round of this year's draft.

Grasu was a four-year starter at Oregon, and he was one of the most athletic centers in the 2015 draft.

According to Jeremy Stoltz of BearReport.com, Montgomery received the majority of the reps with the first-team offense at center earlier this offseason, but that does not mean the veteran cannot get pushed for the starting job by Grasu during training camp.

Even though the two are competing for a starting role this offseason, Grasu has been able to lean on Montgomery for help.

"Will’s been unbelievable since Day 1,” Grasu said, according to Arkush.

Grasu is an athletic center who moves well from side to side and knows how to get to the second level, but Montgomery knows how Gase's offense works after playing in the system last season.

“The way this offense works, the center really does have to set the scheme quickly and know it instantly; you don’t really have time to think about it,” Montgomery said, according to Arkush. “When you hear the call, you have to make the Mike point and get the thing going.”

Montgomery is still the front-runner for the position because of his experience and knowledge of Gase's system, but the battle between him and Grasu will be something to watch during training camp if Grasu is able to pick up the offense quickly.

Will the Bears Extend Alshon Jeffery Before the Season?

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Prior to the NFL's deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign a long-term contract last week, the Dallas Cowboys signed wide receiver Dez Bryant to a five-year, $70 million contract with $45 million guaranteed, and the Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Demaryius Thomas to a five-year, $70 million contract with $35 million guaranteed. 

With those deals in place, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has a blueprint for his next contract. The Bears selected Jeffery in the second round of the 2012 draft, and he has one year remaining on his four-year, $4.57 million rookie contract.

Jeffery struggled with injuries his rookie season and finished the year with 24 catches for 367 yards with three touchdowns in 10 games. He burst onto the scene in 2013 and finished the year with 89 catches for 1,421 yards with seven touchdowns and was named to his first career Pro Bowl.

Last season, he finished the year with 85 catches for 1,133 yards with 10 touchdowns.

Jeffery has strong hands, is not afraid to go up and get the football in traffic and has a knack for making spectacular catches. He turned 25 years old earlier this year and is entering the prime of his career.

The Bears have not spoken publicly about wanting to extend Jeffery before he hits the open market next offseason, but now that Bryant and Thomas have deals in place, the Bears have an idea of what the going rate is for a receiver of Jeffery's quality.

This offseason, the Bears will have to determine whether or not it makes sense financially to extend Jeffery now or to let him play out the final year of his contract. 

For the first time in his young career, Jeffery is going to be leaned on heavily this season as the team's No. 1 wide receiver. Jeffery played alongside Brandon Marshall during the first three years of his career, and the former South Carolina standout benefited from having a true No. 1 receiver on the field with him.

Marshall was traded to the New York Jets earlier this offseason, and Jeffery is going to be quarterback Jay Cutler's top option in the passing game.

If the Bears feel Jeffery can produce at the same level this season as he has over the course of the last two years, it would be wise to give him a new contract now before other receivers hit the market next offseason. But if they have question marks about his ability to be a No. 1 receiver, it makes the most sense for the Bears to wait it out and see how he performs in 2015.

Can Kyle Fuller Emerge as a Leader in the Secondary?

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The Bears drafted cornerback Kyle Fuller in the first round of the 2014 draft, and the former Virginia Tech star appeared in all 16 games last season and made 14 starts. He finished his rookie season with 64 tackles, 10 pass deflections and four interceptions.

Three of Fuller's four interceptions came between Week 2 and Week 3, and the young cornerback's play dropped off near the end of the season. Despite his struggles last year, he is viewed as a key part of Chicago's defense in 2015.

Earlier this offseason, Fox said Fuller is a guy who can develop as a leader, and he is someone the defense can build around.

"Defense, I'd say Fuller is a guy—my evaluation is more from what he did in college, where we had him in the draft process than it is completely on Bear tape—but I'd say a young guy like that, a core guy, he was a first-round pick," Fox said, according to Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com. "I think he has the right kind of tools to be a guy that can lean into that leader spot as he goes."

Veteran cornerback Charles Tillman signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason after spending 12 years with the Bears, and Fuller has a chance to take over a leadership role now that Tillman is gone.

On the field, Fuller has a chance to emerge playing in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system. Fuller was forced to play off coverage last season, and he struggled at times playing in space. Fangio likes to press receivers at the line of scrimmage with big cornerbacks, and Fox thinks Fuller is a good fit.

"I think he's a longer, bigger guy at the corner position," Fox said, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. "I think we've got some pretty tough matchups here. Offensively, we've got some pretty good skill guys. It's a process. I've seen growth, and he's learning our system, it's a new language, new terminology. I just see him getting better every day.” 

Fuller will still be asked to play some zone coverage this season, but he is at his best when he is allowed to play physical at the line of scrimmage. Even though he has been forced to learn a new system this offseason, he feels like the transition is going well.

“It’s a little bit different but you are doing a lot of the same things,” Fuller said, according to Biggs. “Different terminology. I’m liking it. I think a lot of us are.”

Fuller is penciled in as one of Chicago's starters on the outside at cornerback, but with a guy like Tillman gone, Fuller has a chance to solidify himself as a leader in the secondary during training camp and the preseason with his play on the field and his attitude in the locker room.

Lamarr Houston's Return from His Season-Ending Injury

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Lamarr Houston suffered a season-ending knee injury against the New England Patriots last October after celebrating his first sack of the season.

Houston was unable to practice with the team during minicamps and OTAs because of his rehab, but he is looking forward to finally practicing during training camp.

"I want contact," he said, according to Wiederer. "That's one of the things I'm thirsting for—to actually get out there and hit somebody, to actually throw people around. It's not a curiosity. It's a hunger to do it."

The Bears signed Houston to a five-year, $35 million deal last offseason to play defensive end in the team's 4-3 defense, but the former second-round pick is moving to outside linebacker this offseason.

He played some outside linebacker in Oakland in 2013, but he has spent the majority of his career as a 4-3 defensive end. Houston appeared to be a good fit at the 5-technique defensive end position, but the Bears feel comfortable with him on the outside at linebacker. Houston thinks fans will be surprised by how athletic he is.

"People in Chicago haven't had the opportunity to see my full athleticism yet," Houston said, according to Wiederer. "They'll be surprised. I guarantee that."

Houston was listed at 300 pounds last season, but according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times, Houston said he played closer to 265 pounds in 2014. Assuming he remains around 265 pounds, he has good size for the outside linebacker position. 

He moves well in space, and he knows how to put pressure on the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Houston recorded 16 quarterback hits and 41 quarterback hurries in 1,049 snaps with the Raiders in 2013. He finished last season with 10 quarterback hits and 15 quarterback hurries in just 405 snaps.

If healthy, Houston has a chance to put his disappointing 2014 season behind him in 2015. If he is able to get on the field and produce during training camp, Houston could be one of the team's starters at outside linebacker this season.

Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich