The starter-less preseason is officially over for the Chicago Bears following their 19-15 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
But even the final exhibition contest, with mostly third-stringers in the game, still provided Ryan Pace valuable snaps to evaluate the final spots on their 53-man roster.
Third-string quarterback Tyler Bray put together a second strong performance as Matt Nagy let him loose with 40 pass attempts to eclipse 300 yards.
He won’t unseat Chase Daniel as Mitchell Trubisky’s backup just yet, but Bray gave the Bears good reason to keep him on the practice squad one more year with a chance to move up next offseason.
Thursday night’s loss also was the final audition for kicker Eddy Pineiro, who looked to secure his job heading into Week 1 in seven days.
His missed extra point to start the game was ugly, but he bounced back with confidence on three field goals from 35, 39 and 32 yards.
Tight End Jesper Horstead and wide receiver Thomas Ives made late pushes for spots on the practice squad at deep positions as both looked like Bray’s favorite targets.
Defensively, outside linebacker James Vaughters marked his third-straight game with a sack as he makes a case for a spot on the final roster.
The usually meaningless fourth preseason game had some moments of excitement, but maybe it only felt exciting because we’re so desperate for regular season football.
Remember to subscribe to Chicago Shuffle on Apple Podcasts and leave a review and rating.
