7 returning Chicago Bears players that fans should be excited to watch take the field at OTAs

2. DT Gervon Dexter

Gervon Dexter, the Bears second-year defensive tackle, survived all the offseason drama surrounding the front office adding an additional body to the room and can now breathe while solidifying his spot as the starting 3-tech. Having a new defensive coordinator in Eric Washington with a background on the defensive front will be a major boost for the development of Dexter and Zacch Pickens. I'm looking forward to seeing Dexter make the jump and make some plays during OTAs.

3. WR Velus Jones

Velus Jones already got a great start toward making his spot on the roster secure after hearing from Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower during rookie minicamp. Hightower has big plans for Jones under the new kickoff rules and we can finally see a glimpse of what that will look like on the field during OTAs. As for his impact on offense, we'll see if Jones can show something promising as a receiver.

4. LT Braxton Jones

Braxton Jones will have some more fire under him going into 2024 after the Bears drafted offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie in the third round of the draft. Jones' position as the starting left tackle seems to be his to lose and considering Amegadjie won't be on the field until at least training camp, he should be able to hold it down. Even still, the added pressure will have Jones aiming to play, and look, a lot better.

5. DE DeMarcus Walker

Austin Booker, the Bears' fifth-round selection, was the early talk of the town during rookie minicamp in Chicago after showing up with a much larger frame than he had at Kansas. After hearing from head coach Matt Eberflus and Washington, there's still more work for Booker to do in terms of ironing out his skillset as an edge rusher. I still expect to see DeMarcus Walker open the season opposite Montez Sweat and play a solid percentage of snaps on defense until Booker is ready to rotate in. Walker could even see some work on the inside if Washington decides to move him there.

6. CB Jaylon Johnson

This one is a given. The newly paid man in Chicago fresh off a Pro Bowl campaign is looking to come in and make an immediate statement during the first days of practice against this new offense everyone seems to be raving about. We all hear about offenses struggling early on during the offseason program and that's because of guys like Jaylon Johnson not taking it easy against players who are trying to learn a new scheme. He's going to get these guys into gear by the time the season rolls around.

7. TE Cole Kmet

Cole Kmet has turned into a real leader for this Bears' offense and has already started bringing the new players under his wing. Kmet will have a major role on offense under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who loves to use his tight ends. We also haven't really gotten a good look at Kmet in action catching passes from Williams, that's the kind of content I'm eager to see this week.