The Bears continue their march toward the regular season with their second preseason game against the Giants on Friday night.
Last week, David Montgomery exploded onto the scene, Mitch Trubisky didn’t attempt a pass in his three snaps and the kicker competition finally hit the preseason.
While Matt Nagy is likely to rest most of his starters once again, there are plenty of storylines to watch, including rookie Riley Ridley’s debut, Trubisky watch and a kicker competition begging for someone to pull ahead.
Here are four storylines to watch as the Bears take on the Giants:
1. Are we one step closer to finding the Bears’ kicker?
The Bears don’t appear to be anywhere closer to determining their starting kicker. And with the season opener less than three weeks away, the Bears need to figure out if Elliott Fry or Eddy Pineiro are their kicker — or if the answer is elsewhere.
Nagy stressed that these preseason games will be a significant factor in determining the starter — as should be their mental make-up.
Earlier this week, Pineiro complained that the stress was “exhausting,” and that it was “annoying” wondering if he missed a kick that he’d be cut or they’d trade for someone else.
Not exactly something you want to hear from a potential kicker with many more stresses on the way.
2. Does Mitch Trubisky throw a pass in this game?
There are plenty of people that would be okay if Mitch Trubisky didn’t throw a pass this preseason. At the top of that list is head coach Matt Nagy, who said as much last week.
While Trubisky got the start against the Panthers last week, his night was over after three straight handoffs. While we’ll never know Nagy’s intentions for Trubisky if the Bears had picked up a first down on that drive, it’s unlikely that Nagy would risk his young quarterback for too long.
Obviously health is of utmost importance, especially in seemingly meaningless preseason games — for the starters — so even if Trubisky plays against the Giants, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t attempt a pass.
3. What can we expect to see from Riley Ridley?
While Riley Ridley’s roster spot hasn’t been threatened by his hamstring injury, it has caused him to miss some valuable reps during training camp and even last Thursday’s preseason game.
The fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia has impressed with his route-running ability and his contested catch ability throughout the offseason.
Trubisky praised Ridley, noting that the Bears can use him in a lot of different spots. Not to mention, Ridley’s picked up this offense pretty quickly, which speaks to his football IQ.
With Ridley back in the saddle, he figures to see a good chunk of reps against the Giants.
4. What can we expect from the running backs?
After David Montgomery’s flashy preseason debut, you have to wonder if the Bears have seen enough of their young rookie to shelve him until the regular-season opener. Which is exactly what they’re doing with third-year running back Tarik Cohen.
Which would certainly open up more opportunities for guys like Mike Davis, Ryan Nall and Kerrith Whyte to flash their potential, as they’re likely to get a lot of chances to jockey for roster position, mainly Whyte and Nall.
Although it wouldn’t be shocking to see Montgomery get some snaps — possibly with the starting offense — against the Giants, if he does play I wouldn’t expect it to be for too long.
It looks to be Davis, Hall and Whyte’s load to carry this preseason, and Whyte is certainly one to watch with his versatility on offense and special teams and that speed.
