Concerns were growing around the Chicago Bears as days began to tick by. Training camp was set to begin on July 28th with rookies reporting on the 21st. Yet none of the seven picks made by GM Ryan Pace had signed their contracts. None of them would be allowed to attend Halas Hall for medical testing, workouts and practices until that changed.
Thankfully Pace already had things squared away. The team basically worked everything out with the players ahead of time. Then when the day arrived to report, they received their contracts to sign. All seven of them officially became Bears in the space of a few hours. A nice little show solidarity ahead of what should be a grueling month trying to prepare for the season.
Jaylon Johnson led the way, tweeting his signing from the comfort of his own bed. Lachavious Simmons soon followed and Cole Kmet not long after. There will be no holdouts this year.
Chicago Bears rookie have a steep mountain to climb
While Kmet and Johnson can be figured into the plans for this season, 2020 could prove difficult for the rest of the Bears draft class. The bizarre nature of the COVID-19 pandemic has many believing teams will lean heavily on veteran players more than usual. This due to the risk of certain names being removed for multiple weeks at a time due to infection.
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That means names like Trevis Gipson, Kindle Vildor, and Darnell Mooney will have to really make a big impression in camp to earn playing time. Simmons and fellow 7th rounder Arlington Hambright may not end up making the main roster at all. They could be seeing their first years spent on the practice squad.