Chicago Bears: 3 reasons to be excited about training camp

The Rookies

Whether it’s the ones that were drafted or the ones signed as undrafted free agents, there is so much to be excited for this year. It starts with the Bears’ first two selections in the draft — David Montgomery and Riley Ridley. While Montgomery figures to be a huge part of the offense this year, don’t rule out the same for Ridley who impressed the coaching staff at minicamp with his impeccable route running.

There’s also sixth-round pick Duke Shelley who some think could supplant Buster Skrine as the starting nickel corner. While a longshot, the fact that that’s even a conversation should have fans excited. And we haven’t even mentioned their seventh-round offensive dynamo, Kerrith Whyte Jr., who combines incredible size and speed with the versatility to line up in the backfield, split out wide, and on kick/punt returns.

Then we get to the undrafted free agents like Emanuel Hall and Alex Bars who could have easily been drafted in the middle rounds, but went undrafted and signed with the Bears. When it’s all said and done, these two could end up being absolute steals.

It will be very fun to watch just how these four, as well as the rest of the rookie crop, performs at camp. Preseason hype is one thing, but things change once the pads go on and the speed of practice increases dramatically. How they react will go a long way in determining just how much they’ll contribute this year.