Watching Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton battle for the starting center position in training camp, it's clear that offensive linemen are a different breed.

Despite vying for the same job with the No. 1 offense, the two veterans view each other as brothers with common goals, not competitors with different agendas.

"We're just a bunch of big babies," Bates said of offensive linemen. "We're big children. That's all we are, and so we all love each other in the room.

"Times like during training camp is when you build that chemistry, that shared suffrage, and this time of year is when we really grow that chemistry, and we really help each other, and everybody is rooting for everybody. Everybody's trying to win the job at the end of the day, but we're all trying to make each other better."

Bates and Shelton, both of whom were acquired by the Bears in March, became friends while participating in the offseason program.

"Coleman's a great guy," Bates said. "Great teammate. During OTAs we really got to form a bond. I help him. He helps me. Iron sharpens iron, so it's going great right now."

"Bates is a great player," Shelton said. "We're in there together every day. We both come in at the same time and we're helping each other out because that only helps the team out. We go in here and we're teammates, so every day we are in here learning together and we're working together and we're just striving to be the best we can be."

The Bears acquired Bates in a trade with the Bills in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick. He arrives having appeared in 73 games with 19 starts the past five seasons for Buffalo. In 2022, he started all 15 games he played in.

The Bears initially tried to land Bates in 2022. In one of Ryan Poles' first moves as general manager, he signed Bates to a four-year offer sheet. But the Bills matched it.

Bates told reporters that "it feels very nice" to be wanted by the Bears and is happy they traded for him.

"I think I fit well in this offense," Bates said. "I love the team and I love everybody so far. I couldn't have been in a better spot."

Bates has made a positive first impression on his new teammates. He was recently described as the vocal leader of the offensive line by left guard Teven Jenkins.

Asked about being a leader, Bates said: "I've had conversations with the big man upstairs (Poles) and my O-line coach (Chris Morgan) and I'm stepping in that role, being one of the older guys in the room, trying to be more vocal. It's a newer role for me, but I'm embracing it wholeheartedly. So far, I think it's going real well."

Shelton signed with the Bears after appearing in 73 contests with 32 starts the last five seasons with the Rams. He was a full-time starter the past two years, opening all 13 games he played in 2022 and all 17 contests in 2023. Shelton entered the NFL in 2018 with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent from Washington and also spent part of his rookie year on the Cardinals practice squad.

Although he's competing with Bates, Shelton is only concerned with his own performance.

"I'm focused on being the best player I can be," he said. "That's my goal. I've been in a lot of competitions in the NFL and the goal is just to go compete against yourself and be the best player you can be and whatever happens, happens."

Shelton has learned to handle position battles better since he entered the league.

"It's something most NFL players go through," he said. "It's always a competition. You've got to earn your spot every time you step on that field. It's just a certain mindset you've got to go out there with, and that's just the way it is."