Bears fans should watch these position battles in training camp

There shouldn't be much job security on a team coming off a 7-9 season, so it makes sense that when the Bears begin training camp Friday there will be position battles worth watching on both sides of the ball.

Not all the depth-chart decisions will be finalized during the three weeks at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais - that might not happen until three preseason games have been played - but jobs can be won or lost before the Bears break camp on Aug. 20.

Here's a look at five positions where jobs are clearly on the line.

Wide receiver: Last year Devin Hester and Earl Bennett posted nearly identical numbers, but rookie Johnny Knox had as many touchdown catches (5) as both of them combined.

And Devin Aromashodu was the team's leading receiver in the final four games of 2009 by a wide margin, with 22 catches, 282 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Undersized Rashied Davis has more experience than any of them and is the most precise route runner, and 2009 third-round pick Juaquin Iglesias made strides in the off-season after playing just one game as a rookie.

Hester and Knox are the fastest and have the most big-play ability, but Aromashodu is almost as fast and, at 6-foot-2, provides the big target that quarterback Jay Cutler craves.

Bennett and Iglesias also have the size and strength for working underneath that the others lack.

In coordinator Mike Martz's scheme, there may be enough passes thrown to keep as many as four wide receivers on the field. That will keep them happy, but it remains to be seen who the top four receiver will be.

Left guard: Frank Omiyale was so underwhelming at this spot last year that Josh Beekman, who started all 16 games at left guard in 2008, was given a four-week look-see in the middle of the season.

Beekman didn't play well enough to prevent Omiyale from retaking the starting job for the final six weeks of the season, but now Omiyale has been moved to right tackle, leaving Beekman as the favorite.

But Johan Asiata, an undrafted rookie free agent last year who spent the season on the practice squad, and Lance Louis, a seventh-round pick in 2009, will get long looks during training camp.

While Beekman is listed as 6-feet-2 and 310 pounds, he appears undersized, and the Bears would like a bigger body and a more powerful and physical presence at that spot. If Beekman is to claim the job, he will have to do it by playing to his strengths, which are smarts, technique and tenacity.

The 6-3, 305-pound Louis is a better athlete and appears to have more room for growth and a bigger upside, but he's still raw.

Asiata, a 6-4, 300-pounder out of UNLV, could surprise if he continues the improvement that he has shown over the past year.

Strong safety, free safety: Since Lovie Smith took over in 2004, there have been 40 lineup changes at safety; 20 at free and 20 at strong. The position remains unsettled heading into training camp.

Off-season trade acquisition Chris Harris spent most of his time during OTAs starting at free safety, even though he has been a strong safety most of his career. Danieal Manning spent the off-season lining up with the starters at strong safety, even though he almost always has been a free safety in the past.

Third-round draft pick Major Wright will be thrown into the fray and could be a factor at strong safety.

The Bears under Smith have not been hesitant to toss rookies into a sink-or-swim situation. As a rookie last year, sixth-round pick Al Afalava was a training camp standout and wound up starting 13 games, 10 at strong safety and three at free.

Afalava appeared to fall out of favor late in the season, although he's still a contender, along with Craig Steltz, a fourth-round pick in 2008 and veteran Josh Bullocks.

The problem has been and remains that most of the Bears' safeties are better playing in the box and less effective in pass coverage where they lack athleticism and the ability to make plays on the ball.

Strong-side linebacker: These are the types of coaches like to have - choosing between two players who both have been very productive.

Pisa Tinoisamoa won the job in training camp last year, but when he suffered knee injuries that ended his season after less than one full game worth of playing time, Nick Roach stepped in.

Roach, a Northwestern product, performed well enough to tie for the team lead with 10 tackles for loss and finish fourth with 82 total tackles and third with 3 forced fumbles.

This is a win-win situation for the Bears. Whichever player doesn't start will provide excellent depth on a unit that saw four different players start games on the strong side last year, three at middle linebacker and two on the weak side.