Bears have position battle at crucial offensive line spot, per insider

Caleb Williams will start under center for the Chicago Bears this season, but who will be hiking the football to Williams on every play?

The Bears don't know quite yet.

Chicago appears to have a position battle at center. Bears insider Nicholas Moreano reported on Tuesday that Chicago has inserted two different centers into the starting unit over the past two days at training camp.

"With the center position, today (Tuesday) was Coleman Shelton repping with the first-team unit," Moreano said. "On Monday's practice, it was Ryan Bates, but they keep on alternating so far, and we'll see when that ends up changing."

Neither Shelton nor Bates have ever played for Chicago, as they were both acquired by the team in March.

Shelton, 28, was signed by the Bears on March 14, 2024. He's played for the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Los Angeles Rams in his career and won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams in 2022.

Bates, 27, was traded to Chicago from the Buffalo Bills on March 4, 2024, in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Before Buffalo, Bates played for the Philadelphia Eagles after they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2019.

News of intra-squad competition at center reiterates the reality that Chicago's offensive line is still very much up in the air as camp has commenced at Halas Hall. It was also reported this week that guard Ja'Tyre Carter is a possible cut candidate .

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus knows that he has more talent on offense than in the prior two years, but he's refusing to allow complacency or expectations to creep into camp.

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