The Chicago Bears open 2020 NFL training camp on July 28 at their team facility in Lake Forest, Ill. Here's a closer look at a few storylines:
Who wins the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles?
The COVID-19 pandemic deprived Foles of the chance to interact in-person with Chicago's skill position players in the offseason, but the 31-year old veteran Foles appears to have a strong chance to unseat Trubisky. Last season, head coach and playcaller Matt Nagy clearly had trust issues with Trubisky, who finished 28th in total QBR (39.4), tied for 27th in touchdown passes (17), 21st in passing yards (3,138), 32nd in yards gained per pass attempt (6.1) and 28th in traditional quarterback rating (83.0).
Enter Foles, who played under Nagy in Philadelphia and Kansas City. Nagy's revamped offensive coaching staff is full of assistants who have worked closely with Foles. Unless Trubisky strings together a terrific training camp -- something the former second overall pick failed to do last summer -- it could be only a matter of time until Foles takes over permanently. The stakes are too high for the Bears to enter Week 1 with a quarterback controversy. Jobs are on the line after last season's disappointing 8-8 finish. Nagy will start the quarterback he trusts the most. Many signs -- barring injury -- point to that being Foles.
Can Khalil Mack dominate games for the Bears the way he did in 2018?
Mack had a relatively quiet season (8.5 sacks and five forced fumbles) in 2019 as the Bears plummeted from preseason Super Bowl contender to third place in the NFC North. But Mack remains one of the NFL's most feared defenders. A former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Mack is just 29 years old and in the prime of his career. Remember, Mack recorded double-digit sacks from 2015-18. He surely can recover from one subpar season. The arrival of free-agent pass-rusher Robert Quinn and the return of Akiem Hicks, who battled injuries for much of 2019, should make Mack even more dangerous. The Bears have a lot of question marks, but Mack isn't one of them.
How many tight ends can one team have?
The Bears had among the league's least productive group of tight ends in 2019. Veteran Trey Burton (released) led Chicago tight ends with just 14 catches, and J.P. Holtz led the position group with just 91 receiving yards. So the Bears attempted to overhaul the position by signing veterans Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris in free agency and drafting Notre Dame's Cole Kmet in the second round.
That gives the Bears nine tight ends on their roster, including 2017 second-round pick Adam Shaheen, who is on the bubble after three underwhelming seasons. Graham's free-agent contract ($9 million guaranteed and a no-trade clause) raised eyebrows following the former All-Pro's underwhelming tenure in Green Bay. All that said, the Bears should be stronger at tight end in 2020. It's not like they can get much worse.