By Tony Moss, NFL Editor -- (Sports Network) - One of the most intriguing quarterback competitions of the 2008 NFL preseason will take center stage at Soldier Field on Thursday night.

The Chicago Bears, who will welcome the Kansas City Chiefs to town in the preseason opener for both teams, are trying to determine whether to move forward with Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton, two players who will be seeking to impress both the coaching staff and the home fans.

Grossman and Orton both started games for the Bears in 2007, when the team went a disappointing 7-9, just one year removed from a Super Bowl appearance.

Grossman was 2-5 as a starter with a poor quarterback rating of 66.4, while Orton was 2-1 in games he opened, but posted a middling rating of 73.9.

Elsewhere in the Chicago backfield, the competition for running back duties will also be worth watching. Last year's starter, Cedric Benson, was released in June after a series of off-the-field incidents. That move pushed rookie Matt Forte, a second-round draft pick out of Tulane, into the spotlight, where he was joined on the eve of training camp by ex-Lions starter Kevin Jones.

Jones, who is rehabilitating a surgically-repaired right knee, is not expected to be in action on Thursday. Along with Forte, holdovers Adrian Peterson and Garrett Wolfe should see some time with the offense.

The Chiefs will head into Thursday's night test with a bit more certainty at the quarterback position, though that notion doesn't translate to most of the team's young roster.

Kansas City, which had six picks in the first three rounds of the April Draft, is widely expected to be among the youngest teams in the NFL this season, with a number of inexperienced players vying for key roles.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs and head coach Herm Edwards, the team's first two 2008 Draft picks, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey (sprained knee) and offensive tackle Branden Albert (foot), are not expected to be on the field Thursday night due to injury.

At quarterback, starter Brodie Croyle will be followed in the lineup by Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen, who are jockeying for position on the depth chart behind Croyle.

All of the quarterbacks will get their first opportunity to move the offense devised by new coordinator Chan Gailey, the longtime NFL assistant and former Dallas Cowboys head coach who was most recently the head coach at Georgia Tech.

The Chiefs hold a 5-2 edge in their all-time preseason series with the Bears, including a 10-9 home win in the last such meeting, prior to the 2001 campaign.

The Bears were 20-10 home winners when the clubs met in regular season play last Sept. 16th.