Rookies are supposed to report to Lake Forest for training camp on July 19th. That means the Chicago Bears have less than 72 hours before all three of their 2nd round picks could enter a holdout. Most fans know the story by now. Since the Houston Texans fully guaranteed the contract of 34th overall pick Jayden Higgins, every other player selected in the round has not signed. All are hoping to get their deals fully guaranteed as well. Teams haven't been willing to accommodate them.
With the deadline approaching, it felt like something had to break soon. Thankfully, it did. The San Francisco 49ers broke through on a deal with 43rd overall pick Alfred Collins. His deal is not fully guaranteed. That basically means every player picked 44th and on no longer has any leverage in negotiations. It is particularly great news for the Bears. They've been trying to get Ozzy Trapilo (56th) and Shemar Turner (62nd) locked up for months. This should give talks the nudge they needed.
The Chicago Bears still have one persistent issue.
Collins' decision to sign doesn't solve the problem for everybody picked between 35th and 42nd. They still have a chance to fight for the fully guaranteed deal. Among that number is wide receiver Luther Burden, the 39th overall pick by the Chicago Bears. Keep in mind he already missed most of OTAs and minicamps in the spring due to soft tissue injuries. Now he's in danger of missing training camp practices as well. Head coach Ben Johnson warned Burden was already behind others on the depth chart because of this. He may not get playing time at all this season if he takes this holdout too far. Still, it's his right to do what he feels he must.
