The Chicago Bears kick off their 2019 preseason schedule at home Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers in a game that will feature many players who won’t make the final 53-man roster. Starters will play few if any reps to allow guys at the bottom of the roster a chance to impress coaches and GM Ryan Pace.
The first and fourth preseason games are some of the best to watch. It won’t be the most entertaining brand of football, but Bears fans will get a long look at some of the younger players on this team as well as gain a better feel for how deep each position group is.
Games like Thursday night are more about individual performances than the outcome. With that in mind, here are nine Bears who need to get the preseason off to a hot start.
WR Marvin Hall
Hall has been one of the hottest players at Bears training camp practices. He’s making plays on a daily basis despite joining the team as a blip on the offseason transaction radar. If he can carry that momentum into game action in the preseason, he’ll force GM Ryan Pace to consider keeping more than just six pass-catchers on the active roster.
RB David Montgomery
The starting running back job is up for grabs this summer, and while Montgomery is the favorite to open the year with the first team, he’ll need to prove to Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace that he has what it takes to produce against NFL-caliber defenses. If he can rip off a few big runs against the Panthers, he’ll be one step closer to becoming the feature back he’s projected to be.
TE Adam Shaheen
Shaheen has been battling back issues throughout training camp and there’s a chance he won’t play Thursday. But if he suits up, he has to have a moment or two where he reminds the Bears why he was drafted in the second round in 2017. The tight end position is very deep this year and Shaheen’s roster spot isn’t guaranteed. Whether it’s this week against the Panthers or next week against the Giants, Shaheen needs to make his mark early this preseason.
SAF Deon Bush
Bush has taken advantage of the increased practice reps during Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s recovery from an offseason knee injury and while his roster spot feels pretty much guaranteed, he can throw his name into the mix for regular-season reps with a strong preseason showing. He should have opportunities to make some plays against Panthers rookie QB Will Grier.
K Eddie Pineiro/Elliott Fry
Matt Nagy hasn’t announced which kicker will get the nod in Week 1 against the Panthers, but the analysis remains the same. Whoever it is, they need to be perfect; and that’s not an overstatement. The winner of this kicking derby needs to not only defeat his competitor in training camp, but he has to do so while also earning the trust and confidence of his teammates and coaches. That requires perfection this summer. A few bad kicks against the Panthers would be a disaster.
OLB Kylie Fitts
Fitts, the sixth-round pick from a year ago, was billed as a player with pass-rushing upside who was cursed by an injury bug during his time at Utah. He appeared in six games last season and was pretty much non-existent. The Bears will have no issue cutting Fitts if another young pass-rusher emerges in training camp. He’ll need a strong showing against the Panthers and throughout the preseason to prove his scouting report is accurate.
CB Duke Shelley
Shelley, like David Montgomery, has a great opportunity to earn reps in the starting lineup this season even with the presence of free-agent signee Buster Skrine on the roster. His road to a starting job will be much more difficult than Montgomery’s, but if he flashes some explosive coverage skills against the Panthers, he’ll become a player the Bears coaching staff has to strongly consider factoring into the regular season gameplan.
TE Dax Raymond
Raymond’s early training camp performance hasn’t been great, but he’s starting to get his NFL legs under him and is playing with a little more confidence. If he can flip the switch against the Panthers and make some plays as a receiver, he’ll maintain his status as a guy with a real chance to make the cut. For now, he’s a bubble player who’s trending in the wrong direction.
OT Rashaad Coward
The Bears signed T.J. Clemmings to compete for the swing tackle job this season, a role that was presumed to be Coward’s throughout the offseason program. Coward fared well in the preseason last year and is still developing as a player; a strong outing against Carolina’s pass rushers will be gigantic for the rest of his summer outlook.
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