LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Who's winning the Bears' quarterback competition? It depends on the day -- and often the play.
During the Bears' practice at Halas Hall on Tuesday, quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles both had good and bad moments. Trubisky split defenders on a touchdown pass to receiver Javon Wims early in practice, then later struggled with accuracy in live team drills. Foles threw an interception to rookie cornerback Jaylon Johnson early in live drills, then ultimately found his stride.
Bears coach Matt Nagy and his staff understand there's a why behind every play. They also realize the clock is ticking in this unique training camp and that the regular season is looming. It's why the Bears are structuring this quarterback battle delicately -- reps are split equally between Trubisky and Foles, with both operating the same play calls.
The Bears plan to hold off on making a quarterback decision for as long as they can.
"It's not going to happen soon," Nagy said. "We're going to take our time with it ... We want to be able to use as many reps as we can with them."
Whether there will be a true winner in the Bears' quarterback battle is another matter.
Neither Trubisky nor Foles has emerged in this competition just yet, with both showing inconsistencies in practice. Chicago opens its season at Detroit on Sept. 13, which would appear to leave a target date of Monday, Sept. 7 for a decision. That would allow the Bears to best prepare their starter for the opener.
There are just eight remaining practices scheduled in training camp before the Bears must begin preparing for the Lions with a starting quarterback in place. Unless Trubisky or Foles makes a stronger impression before then, the Bears will be forced to start whichever quarterback they leaned toward ahead of time in a competition that promised no biases.
It's why every rep counts in this quarterback battle.
Next man up front?
In 2019, the Bears struggled to fill the void of injured defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. This year, they've already suffered a big loss on the defensive line, with nose tackle Eddie Goldman opting out of playing.
What would the Bears' defense look like without both Hicks and Goldman? That's something they don't want to imagine for the regular season, but they're experiencing it now.
Hicks is dealing with an undisclosed injury and wasn't present at practice Tuesday. While Nagy downplayed the extent of the injury -- and pointed toward the regular-season opener as the goal for Hicks -- his absence underscores the depth concerns that already existed without Goldman.
Without Goldman and Hicks, the Bears would be forced to slide Bilal Nichols down to end and play veteran reserve John Jenkins at the nose tackle position -- mixing Roy Robertson-Harris, Abdullah Anderson and Brent Urban in a rotation that's plenty thin.
Without a Pro Bowl talent like Hicks on the defensive line, the entire front suffers. That would mean fewer clean edge rushes for Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn and fewer tackling opportunities for inside linebackers Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan.
The Bears know how important it is to have Hicks ready for the regular season.
Betting on Graham
The Bears received plenty of criticism when they signed veteran tight end Jimmy Graham to a two-year deal in March. A five-time Pro Bowl selection, Graham hasn't been that caliber of player in several seasons.
But what if the Bears were right on Graham?
Graham joined the Bears feeling fully healthy after dealing with a lingering knee issue for several seasons. At 33, he joins a Bears offense committed to making him a priority in a way the Packers never did.
Graham isn't going to catch 99 passes like he did as a breakout player in New Orleans back in 2011, but it's clear the Bears are making plans for him to produce.
As the Bears' U tight end, the 6-foot-7 Graham will be lining up in packages with multiple receivers like Allen Robinson, Anthony Miller and Ted Ginn Jr. He will be featured in formations with multiple running backs like David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen. And he'll also get snaps alongside Y tight end Cole Kmet. Graham has experience lining up alongside a tackle, in the slot or out wide as a receiver.
Picking the winners
The Bears have three main positional battles going on at quarterback, cornerback and safety. Here's who has the inside track at the moment.
Quarterback: Mitchell Trubisky -- The closer this competition gets to the regular season without a standout, the more it favors Trubisky starting in Detroit.
Cornerback: Jaylon Johnson -- The second-round pick Johnson appears to be practicing without restrictions and is trending toward earning that job.
Safety: Tashaun Gipson -- This is a truly tight battle between Gipson and Deon Bush. While Gipson has the early edge, Bush is pressing him closely.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.