3 Chicago Bears veterans on the roster bubble

The Chicago Bears kicked off their mandatory veteran minicamp this week, marking the final organized set of practices before training camp in July. The minicamp serves as a platform for the younger players to integrate with the veterans, learn valuable practice habits, and set the tone for the upcoming training camp.

It’s a stepping stone for some players to ease into the season, while others must seize the opportunity to impress the coaches and secure a spot on the roster.

Let’s delve into the performance expectations for three veterans who need to shine in this training camp.

Velus Jones Jr, WR

This should come as no surprise, but the former third-round pick suddenly finds himself buried in a talented wide receiver room. Jones saw his production drop in his second year in virtually every category. The Bears drafted Tyler Scott and signed Trent Taylor in 2023, which cut into his usage in both the receiver and specialist roles. This offseason, the Bears brought back Dante Pettis and used the ninth overall pick to draft stud WR Rome Odunze out of Washington. Ryan Poles has shown us he will not hang onto players due to his ego or draft status. Jones might have already been dealt or cut if the NFL had kept the kickoff rules the same. With four locks at the WR position already, he will find himself competing for the last two spots with several veterans and undrafted free agents. At 27 years old, he may not be worth waiting around for with other, younger options available.

Larry Borom, OT

Larry Borom is entering his fourth and, likely, final season with the Bears. The Missouri standout has started at both tackle positions and was their primary swing tackle season. Boron came in with some potential and played almost immediately but has since plateaued. Ryan Poles recognizes that he has hit his ceiling, so he drafted Kiran Amegadjie in this year’s draft. At some point, there will be a real competition between Amegadjie and current starter Braxton Jones for the left tackle position, with the ‘loser’ being the team’s swing tackle. The Bears will also save a little over $3mil by cutting Borom, which they could use to bolster the defensive line via free agency.

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Khalil Herbert, RB

Khalil Herbert is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which will pay him a non-guaranteed $1.055 million. The Bears signed D’Andre Swift to a three-year earlier this year to pair with their fourth-round selection of Roschon Johnson in 2023, whom the coaches have raved about. The final back is Travis Homer, who has some familiarity with Waldron and is a valuable special teams player. In his final season with Seattle, Waldron rarely utilized multi-back sets and instead gave Kenneth Walker a bulk of the work so the offense wouldn’t need a full committee. Waldron also likes running inside the tackles, while Swift and Herbert are better outside. Between these four players, Herbert could be the odd man out. He battled ankle and back injuries last year on his route to finishing the season on injured reserve. Herbert is also not an outstanding pass blocker or special teams contributor.