With the exception of Brain Urlacher's absence, the offense has stolen all the attention throughout training camp and will draw it again Thursday night at Soldier Field in the Bears' preseason opener against Denver.
It goes beyond wide receiver Brandon Marshall, whose debut will naturally stir curiosity. The passing offense of new coordinator Mike Tice is the chief concern. With so many timing routes and three- and five-step drops being used, the timing between Jay Cutler and receivers has to be sharper than it has been in Bourbonnais.
The red zone has been a problem area, as well.
The offensive line's ability to protect Cutler will be on display. The Broncos have a potentially devastating pass rush and provide a good first test for what Tice did with his line.
Individually, a handful of players should get special attention.
LT J'Marcus Webb: Although starters likely will not play long, it wouldn't be out of the question for Tice to leave Webb on the field longer. He needs the work at left tackle. Tice made him take extra snaps with second- and third-teamers during scrimmages at times in camp, so to keep him on the field when the rest of the line leaves would not be out of the question. Coaches want to see Webb display a mean streak in addition to handling the outside rush.
DE Shea McClellin: His struggles early in camp bordered on comical -- once he was even lifted off the ground by tackle Tyler Hendrickson, who has since been cut. However, McClellin has shown rapid improvement over the last week. McClellin seems to be one of those players who is at his best in game situations or scrimmages and not in one-on-one drills. He stood out more in the few live scrimmage situations he's been in, and the Bears would like to see it again in the game.
DE Corey Wootton: Coaches constantly heap praise on Wootton for showing improvement, although that wouldn't be hard considering how much of a non-factor he was the past two years. If Wootton continues rushing the passer the way he has in practice, and McClellin does the same, the Bears could finally have that help for Julius Peppers that they've sought.
WR Dane Sanzenbacher: Doing well in preseason is big, but not so much as a receiver. He will be head to head against recently signed Rashied Davis for a roster spot, and it's obviously going to come down to whether Sanzenbacher can contribute on special teams -- Davis' specialty.
TE Evan Rodriguez: The Bears offense has stuck with Matt Spaeth, Kellen Davis and Kyle Adams as the three tight ends in their three-tight end formations. Rodriguez was a fourth-round pick, and it was expected he would move up ahead of Adams. It would seem unlikely they'd keep four tight ends on the 53-man roster, so Rodriguez needs to make an impact.
CB Jonathan Wilhite: With rookies Greg McCoy and Isaiah Frey turning in strong practices in pursuit of backup cornerback spots, Wilhite needs to do something to cement his status as the No. 4 corner. The former Patriot would be a more expensive fourth corner than either of the rookies, so he needs to justify that cash.
Follow Bears reporter Gene Chamberlain on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLCHI.
