As the Chicago Bears start the 2014 edition of training camp on Thursday, they do so without one of their regular players. Costless safety Chris Conte is present at Bears camp in Bourbonnais, Illinois, but he begins the workouts on the Physically Unable to Perform (or PUP) list.

In March, the California-Berkeley alum had shoulder surgery which was expected to sideline him for up to four to five months. According to Conte, he dislocated his shoulder during sophomore season of 2012. This would explain why he wore a shoulder brace for much of that season and a good part of last season.

As he played through the injury, the pain only got worse. Not helping matters was the ungodly amount of bad plays he made in 2013, contributing to one of the worst defenses in franchise history.

One of those plays was allowing Green Bay Packers' wide receiver Randall Cobb to run costless and make the game-winning touchdown catch in last year's season finale. That play is still fresh in the minds of both Bears' fans and Conte as well.

Sure Conte did total 90 tackles last year, but that's more of a testament to the Bears dismal and injury-riddled front seven then it is to Conte's play making abilities.

So now, coming off probably the worst seasons of his career (in which he only managed three interceptions), Conte finds himself significantly behind the learning curve in the new defense of coordinator Mel Tucker.

Conte missed all of the team's offseason workouts and practices while rehabbing from the surgery. Hurting him even more is the fact that the Bears added plenty of talent to the safety position during the offseason.

With Conte's return unknown and uncertain, and considering that his conditioning will take some time to rebuild, followed by the fact that there's a new defense and an upgrade in talent, Conte will have fight harder than ever to reclaim his roster spot.

Perhaps he can buy time by starting the regular season on the PUP list. But at the end of the day, Conte is in a contract year and his performance will ultimately decide whether or not he remains in a Bears' uniform.

Conte knows that he needs to prove himself again with a new scheme and new teammates on board. Having better talent in front of him could help both his development and his chances of keeping his job. But of course, we won't know for sure until he gets back in shoulder pads.

Conte and the Bears medical staff will not rush his recovery and return, but the sooner he gets on the field, the better his chances are of sticking around. For now, his future is in limbo.