What to watch for in Bears' preseason finale vs. Chiefs
It’s a good sign for the Bears that they have little work left to do on finalizing their roster as they approach the Tuesday deadline to cut it from 90 to 53. Their last preseason game is Thursday at the Chiefs, and that will factor into merely a handful of decisions on the fringes.
Most of this roster was written in Sharpie back in May, unlike the last couple of years when the Bears had far fewer pillars and were still hoping to discover some hidden gems and put them in key spots. In 2022, the first season with general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears settled on a roster stocked with castoffs and undrafted rookies only to flip six of those spots the next day with waiver claims.
They were the worst team in the NFL that season.
The current roster is loaded with big, proven names. Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson, D’Andre Swift and Tremaine Edmunds have all made Pro Bowls. Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze were top-10 picks this year. That’s a lot better.
None of them will play Thursday, though. The Bears want their main players focused on being ready and healthy for the Sept. 8 opener against the Titans. In the meantime, here are four things worth watching in their preseason finale:
1. Pressure on Jones
The Bears drafted Velus Jones on his tremendous speed and potential in the third round in 2022, but have had trouble finding a job he can do consistently well. He has rarely gotten traction as a wide receiver, even at times when the team was desperate for help there, and ball security has been an issue on special teams.
Seeing no shot at him cracking a strong corps of wide receivers, the Bears moved him to running back this month. But that’s not going to be much easier. Swift figures to be their main rusher, Khalil Herbert is an established big-play threat and Roschon Johnson is a multitalented back likely headed for a more significant role in Year 2.
Jones also must contend with Travis Homer, a veteran who is a core player on special teams.
Cutting Jones would be a tough blow for Poles, who hasn’t let go of any player he has drafted in the fifth round or higher, but he has yet to lock down a role. Assuming he plays Thursday, he needs to show he’s good enough on offense and special teams for the Bears to give him more time.
2. Wide-open race at DE
There have been concerns about the Bears’ pass rush all three seasons under Poles, and the recent episode of “Hard Knocks” illuminated two interesting things in that area. It showed Poles working to trade for former Patriots star Matthew Judon, who ultimately went to the Falcons, and the extremely high hopes he had for fifth-round pick Austin Booker in the pre-draft process.
But those are just hopes. The fact that Booker has 2 1/2 sacks and eight tackles in three preseason games against backups doesn’t point toward stardom. He’s got a long way to go.
The good news for Booker — and the bad news for the Bears, if they’re being honest — is that there are spots to take. The Bears are betting big on Sweat to lead the pass rush, and as of now, DeMarcus Walker would start opposite him. But Walker has put up five or more sacks in a season just once in his seven-year career, and everyone behind him has far fewer.
That creates an opening for Booker to make a move. He has steadily impressed in practice, but the Bears are in win-now mode. They need more than progress. They need production.
3. Taylor time
Rookie punter Tory Taylor was born in 1997, and since then, the Bears have punted more than any NFL team at 2,192. Maybe it’ll turn out to be comically ironic that they land their best punter at a time when they least need one.
For now, though, expect to see a lot of Taylor. And while no one tunes in to watch punting, it’s actually quite entertaining to watch him work. Not only does Taylor have incredible leg strength and accuracy, but he puts various spins on the ball that could catch NFL returners off guard.
4. Aiming high
Sure, it won’t be the actual regular-season rosters lining up for the Bears and Chiefs, but going to Kansas City and seeing Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Andy Reid on the sideline should provide some valuable perspective. The Bears are headed the right way, but it’s an extremely steep climb to the top.
A snapshot from last weekend said it all. While Williams was being celebrated as the future after a spectacular 45-yard pass to Odunze against the Bengals, Mahomes casually flipped one behind his back to Kelce in their game against the Lions. It was like recess for him.
The Chiefs are on the mountaintop. They don’t even think about preseason games, and at this point they seem to view the regular season as a formality. They staggered and stumbled to 11 wins last season — a number the Bears have reached once in the last decade plus — on their way to winning the Super Bowl.