Five Chicago Bears to watch in Preseason Week 2: Defense

Who are five Chicago Bears to watch on the defensive side in their third preseason game?

Week two of the preseason, week three for the Chicago Bears. Still, this is not your typical third preseason game, where the team would go through what is called the “dress rehearsal.” The starters will play in this game, but not too much. It gives an excellent chance to see what kind of depth the team has. Position battles up the depth chart and onto the 53-man roster are still the things to watch in this game. Who are the five defensive players worth looking into?

Roquan Smith

This is pretty obvious, right? The player who has dominated headlines over the past month with his rare holdout is taking the field for the first time on Saturday. Well, we think. If it were me, I am putting Smith out there and seeing what I have.

So far, the reports have been good for Smith. The team has had him run with the second and third team to get some extra reps. They also have him calling plays on each unit. They are throwing a lot at him right off of the bat, which does tend to mean that they have pretty high confidence in where he is right now physically and mentally.

Their confidence in his ability could mean some significant snaps on Saturday. Danny Trevathan is likely to start next to Nick Kwiatkoski. However, from late in the first quarter, probably into the third quarter Smith will be playing. He should get some snaps next to John Timu and also rookie Joel Iyiegbuniwe in his debut.

Everything is to watch for when it comes to the rookie first rounder in a potentially extended look. This one is going to be fun.