The Chicago Bears' Depth Chart's Out: What Does It Mean?

The Chicago Bears have released their depth chart for the early part of training camp and there are not too many surprises on it. Perhaps the biggest surprise is seeing wide receiver Earl Bennett down so low (at third string). After having a decent 2009, Bennett has had a tough training camp and could be on the verge of getting cut.

The following is a quick position by position look at the Bears depth chart as it stands right now.

Keep in mind that this depth chart is only the first one of training camp (and had to be released at some point before their game against the Chargers this Saturday), so it is bound to change a lot before the final depth chart comes out right before the season opener (the order on the depth chart matches the order for each position). A (T) indicates that both players are tied for that spot on the chart.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks: Jay Cutler/Caleb Hanie/Dan LeFevour—no surprises here. This should pretty much be the order throughout the entire 2010 season.

Running Backs: Matt Forte/Chester Taylor/Kahlil Bell/Garrett Wolfe—not too much of a surprise at the top, but with Harvey Unga injured Bell and Wolfe may end up securing the final two spots at the position heading into the regular season.

Wide Receiver (1): Johnny Knox/Rashied Davis/Earl Bennett/Greg Matthews—it is scary that Bennett is third on this list. With a push, Matthews, who is having a great training camp, may leapfrog Bennett if things don’t change soon.

Wide Receiver (2): Devin Hester/Devin Aromashodu/Juaquin Iglesias/Eric Peterman—no surprise here. We should see a lot more of Aromashodu this coming season and that should be a big plus.

Tight End: Greg Olsen/Brandon Manumaleuna/Kellen Davis/Richard Angulo—a bit of a surprise here because of Olsen’s inability to block effectively. This may change somewhat depending on which direction offensive coordinator Mike Martz chooses to go before training camp is complete (meaning will he use tight ends as blockers or as pass catchers?).

H-Back: Desmond Clark/Will Ta’ufo’ou/Eddie Williams/Harvey Unga—The surprise here to me is the position but I guess that Martz’s offense calls for an H-back and so they will use one. Clark is a good choice for this. At least they have Unga somewhere on the depth chart.

Left Tackle: Chris Williams/Kevin Shaffer/J’Marcus Webb/James Marten—no surprise here either except perhaps Webb being put ahead of Marten. Marten has looked good in camp while Webb’s conditioning has been of some issue.

Right Tackle: Frank Omiyale/J’Marcus Webb/Kevin Shaffer/James Marten—things might get sticky at this position during the season but what more can you do if you are the Bears? Hopefully Omiyale produces and stays healthy.

Left Guard: Roberto Garza/Johan Asiata/Josh Beekman/Vince Vance—the Bears have done some switching around at the guard position and it looks like it’s working pretty well.

Right Guard: Lance Louis/James Marten/Levi Horn—more switching around after a surprisingly great training camp so far by Lance Louis.

Center: Olin Kreutz/Josh Beekman/Tim Walter—nothing to surprise anyone at this position. Kreutz will be the starter throughout camp.

DEFENSE

Left Defensive End: Mark Anderson/Israel Idonije (T)/Corey Wootton—this should be the norm heading into training camp. Hopefully Anderson will be able to live up to the role and help create some pressure on that end of the line.

Right Defensive End: Julius Peppers/Jarron Gilbert/Barry Turner/Maurice Evans—Peppers should be a very welcome addition to this defense in 2010.

Defensive Tackle: Tommie Harris/Marcus Harrison/Henry Melton—no surprises here except perhaps that the Bears are using Henry Melton at the defensive tackle position whereas many thought he might end up being a defensive end.

Nose Tackle: Anthony Adams/Marcus Harrison/Matt Toeaina—finally Adams gets what he deserves. Do the Bears look a little thin at the defensive tackle position?

Weakside Linebacker: Lance Briggs/Brian Iwuh/Matt Mayberry—no surprise with Briggs here but Iwuh must be doing something that not too many people are seeing to impress in camp and deserve that backup spot.

Strongside Linebacker: Nick Roach/Pisa Tinoisamoa (T)/Tim Shaw—this is a close race and there is no clear cut winner right now. Look for this to be one of the most interesting battles to watch in training camp this summer.

Middle Linebacker: Brian Urlacher/Hunter Hillenmeyer/Kevin Malast—nothing to be shocked about here. This is how it should be.

Right Cornerback: Charles Tillman/Tim Jennings/D.J. Moore/Cornelius Brown—Tillman and Bowman swapped spots so this is new but not that big of a surprise. So far it appears that Tillman is very comfortable in his new spot.

Left Cornerback: Zackary Bowman/Corey Graham/Joshua Moore (T)/Woodny Turenne—this is the spot that Bowman switched Tillman for. Moore has had a great camp and may supplant Graham as the number two cornerback at this spot before training camp is over.

Strong Safety: Danieal Manning/Craig Steltz/Quentin Scott—Right now Manning is the man but how soon will he be replaced?

Free Safety: Chris Harris/Josh Bullocks/Major Wright (T)/Al Afalava—Harris was the intended starter here all along.  One interesting thing to note is just how far Afalava has fallen since being a starter last season.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter: Brad Maynard—this is the same as last season.

Kicker/Kickoffs: Robbie Gould—this is the same as last season.

Holder: Brad Maynard—this is the same as last season.

Kick Off Returns: Johnny Knox/Danieal Manning/Devin Hester—Johnny Knox returns for what could be another Pro Bowl season at this spot.

Punt Returns: Devin Hester/Earl Bennett—Hopefully Hester will be able to make some things happen on punt returns. It would be nice to see him return to his old form.  

Long Snapper: Patrick Mannelly/Desmond Clark—this is still a strong part of the Bear’s special teams.