The last couple of weeks have been a wild ride for the Chicago Bears and their fans. The team got off to a blazing hot start in Week 1 of the preseason, with the offense generating multiple scoring drives and the defense imposing their will upon the Tennessee Titans.
The Bears failed to replicate their dominance against the Indianapolis Colts the following week, falling flat at several positions. Throw in some interesting choices for who did and didn’t play, odd injuries that no one saw coming and a Herculean effort from a backup rookie quarterback, it’s safe to say the preseason has been anything but dull.
With only one exhibition game left against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, it’s a good time to take a step back from the storylines and narratives that pervade our social media feeds and discuss each position.
We will be grading position groups with a letter grade, with “A” being the best and “F” being the worst. Bear in mind, we are ranking the performance of each position based on their overall play in the preseason; what that position did on the field over the last two preseason games is the only thing being considered.
For example, DJ Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney are all talented receivers, but because one of those three players didn’t play, it will hurt the position’s overall grade.
Now that the rules are sorted, let’s analyze and grade every offensive position’s performance in the preseason.
Quarterback: A-
The quarterback position is always the hottest commodity on any given team, and the Bears are no exception. Most of Chicago’s passers have played pretty well through these two preseason games: Justin Fields had a perfect passer rating in the one game he played against the Titans (although he only threw three passes), Nathan Peterman has been efficient, and he even tossed an absolute dime of a ball to receiver Daurice Fountain for a touchdown.
Nathan Peterman rolls right and throws a perfect 35-yard TD strike to Reese Fountain.
Peterman is competing to win the Bears backup job.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 20, 2023
When it comes to rookie Tyson Bagent, well, what more can be said? The man is more popular in Chicago than Michael Jordan was (maybe a slight exaggeration on our part). In all seriousness, Bagent propelled a rudderless offense forward against the Colts last Saturday, leading a methodical drive down the field that resulted in a short touchdown run from the signal caller. It completely shifted the momentum of the game, something that many of the players down the depth chart desperately needed.
Tyson Bagent going full Fields for the TD run. Complete with a spike. 🐻 pic.twitter.com/75D3H2rmsn
— Matt Clapp (@DaBearNecess) August 20, 2023
The only true blemish in the Bears’ quarterback room is former Panther P.J. Walker, who’s been unable to tap into the potential he flashed in the latter half of last season with Carolina, routinely misreading plays and missing throws. He’s the dead weight that sinks the quarterback position’s overall grade.
I think it’s fair to say the Bears quarterbacks have been a pleasant surprise in the offseason so far, with one exception.
Running Back: B+
The running backs were expected to be a talented group heading into the preseason, and they have flashed that elite ability through two games.
The ballcarriers find themselves in the opposite situation of the pass catchers: all three of the main backs have played in the preseason. Veteran Khalil Herbert and rookie Roschon Johnson have basked in the spotlight the most, however, as D’Onta Foreman has only received a handful of carries.
Herbert and Johnson definitely are the heavy lifters when it comes to elevating the position’s grade, as both have made highlight plays. Herbert was the first to get the (foot)ball rolling; he was the other player to make Field’s preseason Week 1 stat line look so good by taking a short pass to the house, following his blocks and breaking a couple of tackles to cross the goal line.
FIELDS CAN’T BE STOPPED
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥56 yard TD throw to Khalil Herbert this time!
— NFL Notifications (@NFLNotify) August 12, 2023
Herbert then gracefully bowed out of the preseason to make way for his understudy Johnson, who validated the excitement many fans had for the rookie. This is where statistics and measurements don’t do Johnson’s performance justice; the eye game proved that the rookie is a powerful runner who does not go down easy. The perfect encapsulation of his skillset was a ferocious run he had against the Titans early in the third quarter, where Johnson found a sliver and exploded through it, breaking at least three tackles before finally being dragged down.
Roschon Johnson running MAD pic.twitter.com/u4T04h7cxw
— Bears Nation (@BearsNationCHI) August 13, 2023
Even rookie fullback Robert Burns was able to make some contributions to the offense, rushing for 40 yards on eight carries against the Colts.
Herbert’s continual ability to make big plays and Johnson’s powerful running style, paired with a couple surprise performances like Burns’, is why the running backs were assigned such a high score.
Wide Receiver: C+
The Bears have a strong wide receiver room on paper, but we have yet to see the best of the group on the field.
Chicago has vastly upgraded the receiver position over the last year, with general manager Ryan Poles trading for talented pass catcher Chase Claypool in the latter half of the 2022 season and acquiring former Panthers star DJ Moore in a blockbuster trade this offseason. With the steady production of Darnell Mooney mixed in, the Bears are primed to take the next step on offense this year. Moore, Claypool and Mooney’s talents, however, are being saved for when the games matter in the regular season, as the preseason has been without the trio for the most part.
The one exception is Moore, of course, who only needed one catch on a simple screen pass to demonstrate his dynamic ability, scoring a touchdown on a long catch and run play.
DJ Moore's first catch as a Bear is a TD 🤯 (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/7qOdzNQVOL
— Overtime (@overtime) August 12, 2023
That one catch in the beginning of the Bears’ first preseason game against the Titans has been the only sighting of Moore through the preseason so far. Still, the star has one catch more than Claypool and Mooney, as the two receivers’ recent recovery from injuries have caused the coaching staff to sit the duo out of an abundance of caution.
So, with the Bears’ three starting receivers out of action, how are the rest of the pass catchers doing? Well, not so great. Whether it’s due to poor quarterback play or inconsistency from the offensive line, the receivers have made essentially no impact through two games. Fountain has been the one saving grace for the group, not only because of his great grab for a touchdownagainst the Colts, but because he was a reliable target for the Bears’ quarterbacks, hauling in five catches for 86 yards.
Just through evaluation of preseason play, Moore and Fountain were the only two receivers to make any sort of difference. The other starting receivers didn’t play, and the other players fighting for playing time like Velus Jones, Tyler Scott, Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis have been non-factors.
Actually, I take that back, they are factors – they factored into why the wide receiver position scored worse than fans may have thought.
Tight End: D
I’ll be the first to say this ranking is a bit unfair. The Bears have not played their top three tight ends much, if at all, in the preseason.
Starter Cole Kmet was deservedly inked a new four-year deal, so it’s understandable why the coaching staff would severely strict his snaps. Both newly signed tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis are veterans that have played through many preseasons, so it’s natural they would conserve their energy for the regular season.
The only tight end that’s really gotten any relevant playing time, Stephen Carlson, hasn’t done any damage in the receiving department, only recording two catches.
When you think about the vacancy of talent on the field when the team’s top tight ends sit out, it makes more sense why the group score so poorly.
Offensive Line: C
The offensive line has its standouts, but overall the position is in disarray. The injury bug latched itself to the group and it seemingly hopped from player to player, as many Bears blockers are hampered by miscellaneous impairments. Left guard Teven Jenkins is the most notable lineman who has been sidelined after reports came out that Jenkins has strained calves in both legs that may sideline him for up to six weeks.
Though it has to be considered that the Bears have not trotted out the full projected starting offensive line in the preseason, the group that’s been playing with the first team hasn’t quelled any concerns fans may have about the position’s depth. Openings in the run game have been few and far between, and all of the aforementioned quarterbacks have had to consistently attempt to elude pressure on passing plays.
A few offensive lineman have stood among the mediocrity, however. First round right tackle Darnell Wright has had no issue eliminating opposing NFL defenders from plays; backup lineman Ja’Tyre Carter has displayed great effort in his preseason reps and is positioned to obtain a starting role, and tackle Larry Borom has actually been crowned the best-performing tackle of the preseason by Pro Football Focus.
Top 10 Tackles in Preseason so far (PFF)
1. Larry Borom
2. Cole Van Lanen
3. Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
4. Josh Wells
5. Kellen Diesch
6. Richard Gouraige
7. Garett Bolles
8. Mekhi Becton
9. Raiqwon O'Neal
10. Donovan Smith*min 30 snaps
— uSTADIUM App (@uSTADIUM) August 21, 2023
Those player’s solid play is not enough of a reason to give the position a higher grade, however. The offensive line was a position of major concern heading into preseason, and it remains so less than three weeks from Week 1.
