6 Bears Already on Thin Ice in Training Camp

4. Ryan Bates & Coleman Shelton, C

One of the top competitions the Bears have going offensively right now is for the starting center job. Ryan Bates, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, is competing for the job with Coleman Shelton, a former member of the Los Angeles Rams who has started 32 career games.

Both Bates and Shelton have similar pedigrees.

Both players are former undrafted free agents. Both players are somewhat journeymen who have bounced around the league a little bit before landing in stable situations, or even situations where they were anything more than spot starters or emergency options.

Bates has 19 career starts compared to Shelton's 32, but Bates is also a couple of years younger.

The Bears' initial depth chart has these guys listed as Ryan Bates OR Coleman Shelton, meaning they are not giving any indication right now which one might be ahead of the other as they continue to split reps.

The thing with the offensive line is that you really want to get these guys as many reps on the field together as possible, meaning the starting five. And when you're breaking in a rookie quarterback, having two different guys snapping the ball to him isn't ideal.

I don't know that we're going to see one guy named the starter here and the other guy flat-out get cut, but until a starter is named, both Bates and Shelton are on "thin ice" with this competition likely nearing its end rather quickly.