Chicago Bears Preseason Game #3: Stock Watch Defense
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Stock Down
Shea McClellin – He was decent against the run so I feel almost bad putting him in the stock down category, but he also allowed 4 catches for just under 50 yards on the Bengals first two scoring drives. He was also slow to react on a 3rd down read option play where he was unblocked but just wasn’t quick enough to get to QB Andy Dalton, one of the slowest QBs in the league. McClellin wasn’t terrible, but he had a chance to make a few plays Saturday and just wasn’t good enough to make them. The Bears defense can’t afford to have an ILB who is tentative or slow to the ball.
Antrell Rolle – I thought the Bears got rid of Major Wright? Rolle’s pursuit angles on running plays brought back bad memories of the Bears former safeties as he twice misjudged the speed of the RB leading to another 8-10 yards on each play. I did see Rolle make one nice tackle in traffic after a gain of a few yards and he had a big hit on a player going out of bounds anyway, but besides that it was all bad for Rolle who is starting to look like a waste of money.
Tim Jennings – I was going to be pretty harsh on Jennings here after he looked lost on the field and managed to earn the lowest grade of any Bear from Pro Football Focus (-3.5), but the Bears released Jennings today and I feel kind of sad about it.
Brock Vereen – Played probably his best game this preseason but still missed an open field tackle at the 1-yard line which would have kept points off the board. Vereen just isn’t a physical player and would be better off as a sub-package corner than a safety.
Olsen Pierre – With all the injuries on the Bears D-line, a potentially stout run defender like Pierre had a shot to make the team, but he struggled to hold his ground against the run Saturday and will most likely not survive the first round of cuts tomorrow.
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