Chicago Bears rookie Jordan van den Berg is forcing his way into the defensive tackle battle

The Chicago Bears' defensive tackle battle on the depth chart was going to be one of the more intriguing to watch in training camp. However, an injury to sixth-round rookie Jordan van den Berg derailed some of the excitement for a bit. Fortunately, he is back in the mix after being activated, and the room is still very unsettled.

Van den Berg was excellent in his first experience at an NFL training camp. The team appears to be very high on him and even had him working out with the first-team defense. That is a big step up for a player who was drafted late and had hardly worked with the team. Still, despite being thrown into the deep end, van den Berg flashed.

The emergence of the sixth-round rookie might flip how the room looks.

Chicago Bears Have Exciting Rookie in Jordan van den Berg

Right now, Gervon Dexter and Grady Jarrett are the starters on the interior. Dexter has his spot locked down, and unless Jarrett completely falls off in the next few weeks, he has his spot as well. However, the depth behind them is wide open.

Right now, Kentavius Street and Neville Gallimore have been filling in behind Dexter and Jarrett. Gallimore signed for more than a minimum so he should be locked into a spot. However, Street has bounced around the NFL and only played 216 snaps last year.

He has a high floor, which is why he might end up making the team. However, van den Berg could be coming in to push him early. So far, the team is already mixing him in with Street as if they are on the same level on the depth chart.

Beyond that is Shemar Turner and James Lynch. These two are interesting because they can play along the interior. However, they might be best in this defense as big edges, who can set the edge against the run on the outside. At times, they will slide inside, but right now the team has better interior rushers.

How the Bears view those two will likely define where van den Berg stands with his roster chances. Sixth-round picks are not guaranteed to make the team, but they are not always treated like van den Berg was when he returned to practice.

While it is early, it is looking like he has a chance to exceed expectations as a rookie.

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