When the 2025 NFL Draft concluded, Chicago Bears fans had little to complain about. Sure, the team might end up regretting selecting Colston Loveland over Tyler Warren, but overall, Chicago added four players before the third round of the festivities even began. Yes, they added four players, all of whom could conceivably play a major role in 2025 and beyond. Unfortunately, Loveland is the only one of those four players who has signed a contract with Chicago. This reality makes the Bears the biggest losers of all entering training camp.
Shemar Stewart of the Cincinnati Bengals made headlines when he refused to sign his rookie deal, but this has been a league-wide issue, particularly among second-round picks. Most teams have at least one unsigned rookie, but since the Bears had three second-round picks and none of them have signed, Chicago has been impacted most by these failed contract negotiations.
Bears are biggest training camp losers before it even begins
The Bears selected Luther Burden III, Ozzy Trapilo, and Shemar Turner in the second round, expecting them to be major contributors right away. Burden gives the Bears another weapon for Caleb Williams, Trapilo is the latest addition to a much-improved offensive line, and Turner adds much-needed depth to Chicago's defensive line.
Training camp is an opportunity for these rookies to learn and show what they can do. Without training camp, it becomes much tougher for head coach Ben Johnson to feel confident when it comes to playing them when games start to matter. The rookies lose out, but so do the teams. I can argue that training camp is the most important time for rookies to be present with the team, so this really stings, especially when this Bears team that hopes to show major signs of improvement is as reliant on the rookies as they are.
It's important to note that while nothing has been signed, the only confirmed holdout so far is Tre Harris of the Los Angeles Chargers. Training camp for the Bears isn't set to begin for another five days for these rookies, so something may get done beforehand, even if it feels unlikely. All it really takes for the tides to turn among these second-round picks is for one player to agree to a deal. A snowball effect could take place shortly thereafter. At this point, Bears fans have to just cross their fingers and pray for a miracle.