NFC North: Storylines to follow at mandatory minicamps

Chicago Bears

Mandatory minicamp dates: June 11-13

What to follow: Who takes the lead in the offensive backfield?

A popular pick to represent the NFC in next year’s Super Bowl, the Chicago Bears were a powerhouse in head coach Matt Nagy’s first season at the helm. With an already menacing defense, all eyes will be on the development of the Bears’ offense, which includes the progress of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky as well as a reworked running back corps.

Former two-time 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Howard was deemed a odd scheme fit, and was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles. That left explosive satellite back Tarik Cohen as the unquestioned leader of the group. However, at a diminutive five-foot-six and 181 pounds, Cohen simply isn’t built to be a bell cow out of the backfield, and a pair of heftier additions to the unit could offer the Bears more options in 2019.

After excelling in short yardage situations with the Seattle Seahawks, power back Mike Davis was lured to the Bears with a two year contract in free agency. Davis missed just one game and eclipsed 100 carries for the first time in his career in 2018. He will be a factor for the Bears going forward.

Additionally, the Bears used their first draft pick in April on versatile running back David Montgomery, a workhorse during his years at Iowa State. Montgomery’s array of skills could cut into some of Cohen’s snaps, and at Bears minicamp, it will be intriguing to track wether they primarily look at Cohen or Montgomery out of the backfield in passing situations.

In 2018, the Bears rode their committee approach at running back to an impressive 11th place place finish in total rushing yardage. One could make the argument that they have significantly improved that unit this season. It will be fascinating at Bears minicamp to see if one of the aforementioned three stands out at the position, or if they continue to split the workload in hopes of improving that mark in 2019.

What NFC North minicamp storylines will you be following this week? Let us know in the comments section below.