3 Bears Veterans Fighting for Their Jobs After 2022 NFL Draft

While the Chicago Bears were without a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, they were still able to add 11 new faces to the roster across the final six rounds. The front office wasted no time addressing major holes on the team and gave the coaching staff a lot of talent to work with in training camp.

The Bears own a roster that has already seen a lot of turnover from the 2021 season. Now the established players that are left are going to have to hold off some newcomers excited to make an impact as well. With that in mind, let's take a look at three Chicago veteran fighting for their jobs.

Chicago Bears Depth Chart

1. Duke Shelley, CB

Cornerback Duke Shelley can't seem to catch a break as of late. The 25-year-old was getting his first real run as a reliable option in the secondary for the Bears last season before a hamstring injury cut everything short. He ended up with 37 tackles and three pass breakups in 10 games played (4 starts). Chicago then used their highest draft pick to select Washington ballhawk Kyler Gordon at No. 39 overall. Gordon's athleticism tested off the charts during the pre-draft process and he broke up 7 passes during his final season with the Huskies. He's going to enter training camp gunning for a starting spot.

2. Larry Borom, OT

It was a bit surprising to see the Bears wait until the fifth round to grab an offensive lineman given they allowed the most sacks in the NFL last season (58.0). Larry Borom didn't help the cause as he gave up 5 sacks and drew 4 penalties in 633 offensive snaps. Chicago ended up taking Braxton Jones out of Southern Utah and it wouldn't hurt to see whether or not he has what it takes to start right away. After all, the Thunderbirds standout was given a 93.9 overall grade by ProFootballFocus for his efforts during the 2021 season. Teven Jenkins is another name in danger of falling down the depth chart here.

3. Darrynton Evans, RB

The Bears picked up Darrynton Evans following his release from the Tennessee Titans to be the team's No. 3 running back. He didn't really have any competition for the role until Chicago drafted Baylor's Trestan Ebner in the sixth round (No. 203 overall). Given how No. 2 RB Khalil Herbert lines up a bruiser and not a pass-catching back, the coaching staff may lean toward Ebner given his ability to run routes out of the backfield. He posted 1,515 receiving yards on 127 receptions (11.9 average) during his college career and was even named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year. Ebner is a name to keep an eye on.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.