Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears head to the Pacific Northwest to face the World Champion Seattle Seahawks. If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. When the preseason schedule came out and I saw that the over-hyped “dress rehearsal” game was going to be at Seattle against the world champs and their ferocious defense, I got a little anxious. This could be a good barometer for the Bears, but in a hostile environment against a tough, physical defense, it could put Cutler and some of the offensive stars at risk.
There are plenty of the big name starters to keep an eye on like whether Jay Cutler can keep up his torrid preseason pace or whether Shea McClellin can figure out the linebacker position but I’d rather focus on some of the reserves and guys fighting for jobs.
5. Chris Williams/Darius Reynaud
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OK, so I lied a little. I said Top 5 guys, but there are a couple of bonus guys in the midst of a roster battle that I want to watch. CFL return standout Chris Williams is expected to play after missing a couple of weeks with a hamstring pull that he suffered while hauling in a 70-yard bomb against the Eagles. Williams was slated to get some reps returning kicks in the second half of the Eagles game, so he’s behind in the race to be the return man.
Eric Weems was given every opportunity to win the Bears return man job, but he bumbled and fumbled his way out of town instead. To compete for that job, the Bears brought in Darius Reynaud. Reynaud has bounced around the league since coming out of West Virginia as a free agent in 2008. Can he make an immediate impact and give the Bears special teams a lift?