RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Chicago Bears play football this weekend as they kick off the preseason against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday afternoon. It's the first and only home game this exhibition season for Chicago, who then hit the road for back-to-back contests.
The Bears will sit a number of starters, according to head coach Ben Johnson, so this first exhibition game will serve as an opportunity for guys further down the depth chart to shine. There are a number of position battles unfolding and roster spots up for grabs, so there's plenty still on the line.
Here are a few storylines to keep an eye on when the Bears face the Browns in their preseason opener.
Left tackle rotation
The biggest storyline heading into Saturday's preseason opener is the left tackle competition, which will feature a rotation of former third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie and former first rounder Jedrick Wills Jr. Amegadjie will get the starting nod, according to Johnson, but Wills will rotate in throughout the game. Braxton Jones, the presumed front runner, returned to practice Thursday for the first time since suffering an injury on Aug. 6. He's still ramping up before returning to action, but expect to see him next week against the Cincinnati Bengals . But it's been a pretty even split between Amegadjie and Wills since Jones, who had gotten the bulk of snaps, went down with injury.
Secondary competition
Left tackle isn't the only position battle worth monitoring on Saturday, as there are several roster spots and depth chart positioning on the line. The biggest are no doubt in the injury-riddled secondary at nickel cornerback (with Kyler Gordon still on the physically unable to perform list) and safety (with Coby Bryant expected to miss 4-6 months after knee surgery). Rookie Malik Muhammad has gotten a look at both nickel and also outside with Tyrique Stevenson sidelined Thursday. Meanwhile, it's been rookie Dillon Thieneman and new veteran Xavier Woods at safety.
Wide receiver, running back battles
On offense, there are roster spots and depth chart positioning on the line at running back and wide receiver. There's no question that D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are locked in as the top two backs, but there's a battle emerging for that RB3 spot between Roschon Johnson and Salvon Ahmed. Johnson has been a special teams standout while Ahmed has impressed throughout training camp. Preseason will give us a good look at who has the upper hand in that battle. Meanwhile, there's competition brewing for that WR3 spot behind Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. While Kalif Raymond was expected to serve that role, last year's standout undrafted rookie Jahdae Walker has made things interesting. Both Raymond and Walker are locks to make the roster, but a little competition is never a bad thing.
Rookie performances
Saturday's game will provide an opportunity for Chicago's rookies to see their first live game action in the NFL. We'll see if first-round safety Dillon Thieneman gets action on the first defensive series, as Johnson said a number of starters will not play. With that being the case, we'll get a good look at second-round center Logan Jones is game action as he sits behind veteran starter Garrett Bradbury. Malik Muhammad should see a good number of reps in the secondary, and it'll be interesting to see where he primarily plays -- be it outside of nickel. Defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg has been a training camp standout, and he'll no doubt have extensive opportunities, with starters resting, to showcase that physicality and dominance in live game action. With Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet expected to sit, third-round tight end Sam Roush should see plenty of action. Unfortunately, wide receiver Zavion Thomas will have to wait to make his debut as he's day-to-day with a knee injury, as well as linebacker Keyshaun Elliott, who remains on the physically unable to perform list.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 4 storylines to watch in Bears' preseason opener vs. Browns
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