Has James Vaughters Earned His Place on 53-Man Roster?

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 24: Charcandrick West #36 of the Indianapolis Colts runs away from the tackle of James Vaughters #46 of the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - AUGUST 24: Charcandrick West #36 of the Indianapolis Colts runs away from the tackle of James Vaughters #46 of the Chicago Bears during a preseason game at Lucas Oil Stadium on August 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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In the midst of yesterday’s shocking news of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck announcing his sudden retirement, the Chicago Bears got their first victory of the preseason by defeating the Colts by the score of 27-17. In just like their last preseason game, the Bears’ starters didn’t play and left all of the heavy lifting for their reserves.

Things started out slow in the first half, but eventually went Chicago’s way in the second half. The offense managed just one touchdown on the evening, but the defense found the end zone twice. In addition, the defense recorded six sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble. One of those sacks and the forced fumble (which resulted in a touchdown by Joel Iyiegbuniwe) was caused by outside linebacker James Vaughters.

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Including last week’s preseason game, Vaughters now has two sacks and two forced fumbles. Along with those stats, Vaughters has put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and has made a pretty good argument for himself to be on the Bears’ 53-man roster for the regular season.

The shoulder injury to fellow outside linebacker Aaron Lynch has given Vaughters this much-needed playing time. Currently, the Stanford product is behind Lynch on Chicago’s depth chart as their third-string outside linebacker along with Kylie Fitts.

If 2019 is anything like last season for the Bears, then they should have six outside linebackers on their 53-man roster. The way things look right now, Vaughters just might get one of those spots, leaving Chuck Harris and Mathieu Betts out of the picture.

With one more preseason game coming up this Thursday night, Vaughters could possibly cement his place on the opening-day roster with another solid game (if he hasn’t already).