The NFL kicks off its 100th season tonight as the Chicago Bears take on the Green Bay Packers from Soldier Field.
For Georgia football fans watching tonight’s game, expect to see a lot of familiar faces for the Bears.
(The Packers do not have any Bulldogs on their roster).
On defense, linebackers Leonard Floyd and Roquan Smith will be the two Bulldogs to watch. Last season, Chicago fielded a ferocious defense, led by all-pro Khalil Mack; both Smith and Floyd played key roles in helping the Bears to the playoffs.
Smith, the 8th overall pick in the 2018 draft, began his NFL career with 122 tackles, 5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss and 1 interception during his rookie season.
As for Floyd, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 draft had 49 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 interception from the outside linebacker position.
On the offensive side of the ball, a pair of wide receivers will be hoping to reel in some passes from quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Riley Ridley and Javon Wims, former Georgia teammates, are both listed as second string receivers.
Wims, a former 7th round pick, had a great preseason last year with the Bears but did not receive many opportunities to produce during the regular season. He finished his rookie season with just 4 catches for 32 yards, but looks to take a step forward tonight and in the 2019 season.
4th round pick Ridley, the younger brother of the Falcons’ Calvin Ridley, left Georgia one year early to head to the NFL.
“With Riley, he’s done a really good job of digesting everything,” Bears coach Matt Nagy. “He knows what he’s doing. He has a great feel. When teams play zone coverage, he has a good feel of that. He has excellent ball skills, so that’s just showing up.”
