Chicago Bears Preseason Game #2: Stock Watch Offense

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Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears first team offense was better this week than in the preseason opener against the Dolphins. Jay Cutler led the Bears to three field goals in four drives and backup Jimmy Clausen led the Bears to two TDs in the second half as the Bears beat the Colts 23-11.

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Like last week, the Bears played at a much faster pace than last year, even incorporating some no-huddle into their scheme. They also were a run heavy team again with a 36/20 run to pass split. It’s hard to tell from the preseason what the Bears offensive scheme will look like this year with the Bears most likely holding things back and missing their best WR in Alshon Jeffrey, but it seems vastly different from Marc Trestman’s scheme. It looks like a no-frills, ground and pound offense with occasional shots downfield. After last year’s pass-happy disaster, I am perfectly OK with an old-school offensive scheme.

There were some players that really helped their chances of making the Bears final 53-man roster this week and a few others who hurt their odds. I will be breaking down them both below:

Stock Up

RB Jeremy Langford – After a lackluster first game, Langford showed why the Bears used a 4th round pick on him in this year’s draft. The highlight of Langford’s day was a 46 yard run where he juked the safety in the open field. He stumbled a bit near the end of the run or would have probably gained another 15 yards and found the end zone. He ended up scoring later in the game with a nifty 2-yard run where he broke a tackle 2-yards behind the line of scrimmage before reversing directions and out-racing a Colts defender to the end zone. Langford made a statement today in the competition to be Matt Forte‘s primary backup.

RB Jacquizz Rodgers – Langford gained some ground on Rodgers for the #2 RB job, but Rodgers had a pretty nice game as well. He continues to show surprising power as an inside runner despite his lack of size. He had 9 rushes for 34 tough yards and did well in pass pro. He’s the best pass blocker of the RBs on the squad which will give him an edge for the backup job.

WR Marc Mariani – Didn’t do anything in his 17 snaps on offense, but averaged 18 yards on three punt returns including a 29 yard return that included two broken tackles. He’s the clear leader for the punt return job after two impressive preseason games.

RB Senorise Perry – Seems to be the leader for the kick returner job. He is one of the fastest players on the team (4.36 40-time), had a long TD run last week and an impressive 31-yard kick return on Saturday. Perry started last season as the Bears kick returner but was replaced after just a couple weeks, though he ended up being the Bears leading tackler on special teams. He has a shot to make the final 53-man roster due to his coverage skills, but he’s had a few good kick returns now and has been impressive as a running back. If the Bears keep Perry, it could knock Ka’Deem Carey off the roster.

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