The Chicago Bears are now 2-0 in the Matt Eberflus era. While this does not really matter it is good to see that the team is buying in and that the depth of the new regime is already showing. While the Bears’ preseason win in week two is just a glimpse into the rest of the season, there are some takeaways that can point us in the right direction.
Which players flashed the most?
5. Jack Sanborn, with Honorable Mention: Demarquis Gates
The Chicago Bears’ depth at linebacker has been flashing in both preseason games. Sanborn has all but locked up a roster spot during the past week or so. He has been making an impact on defense, but the biggest thing going for him is that he has been a menace on special teams.
When you watch each punt it is not long before you see 57 right near the return man. Because he Is a depth linebacker, that is what is going to get him on the roster.
Behind him is Demarquis Gates, who took a different path to the Bears. Gates has bounced around from league to league and did the whole run of AAF, XFL, and USFL ball. He flashed this past spring and got an invite to camp.
In two preseason games, he has been a tackling machine who plays nasty. Gates is 26 and has been in the league since 2018, so his hype is not as high as the rookie UDFA. Still, Sanborn may be a roster lock, and Gates may have locked down a practice squad job this season.
4. Dante Pettis
The Chicago Bears’ depth at wide receiver is starting to sort itself out. It does not hurt that Tajae Sharpe is now injured on the top of David Moore, who has not worked much at all. With a Dazz Newsome fumble in the preseason, it opened the door for Pettis to be the last man standing in this group.
Dante Pettis finished the game as the punt return man, and in preseason week two, he was ahead of Newsome and was behind only Velus Jones in the order. Pettis did well in the area.
Last week we highlighted that Pettis was showing great hustle and awareness on a block down the field. This week, he got onto the field for the first drive, which exclusively was for the first-team offense.
He is showing on special teams and moved up on offense. Getting even one snap with the offense shows that he is now in the plans, a huge win for Dante Pettis overall. It would now be surprising if he were cut later this month.
3. Velus Jones
Speaking of Velus Jones, he is the main reason that Pettis is not going to be regarded even higher. That is because Jones locked in the kick return and punt return jobs on Thursday. Jones opened the game with a 31-yard kick return, then posted a 48-yard punt return later on in the game.
In both roles, he is firmly the starter and nothing in the first game or in the returns after Jones proved that he will be unseated.
Jones only had so much of a role on offense, but his limited special teams work showed us why Chicago was so high on him. Jones has an extra gear in his burst, and you could see it clearly on the punt return where he slowly waltzed left to right at first to read his lane, then shot into the hole with a 0 to 100 type of burst.
Seeing a rookie lock in two starting jobs is valuable, even if both are special teams. Beyond that, we saw why the team wants the ball in his hands so often and what can happen if they continue to do that. The sneak peek was exciting.
2. Sam Mustipher
Fans continue to go at Sam Mustipher, and it is still not accepted that he will make the roster. However, in OTAs, he was starting at right guard, and once the starting center got banged up he easily beat out Doug Kramer to start at center.
Last night he played the first drive with the starters, then he was pulled. The team used Dieter Eiselen almost the entirety of the game from there, and he has barely ever snapped a football.
You could see that on a play when he snapped the ball over the head of Trevor Siemian. When Eiselen was injured for a few plays they went to Corey Dublin, who could not hold up and left the offense looking panicked.
Mustipher was never going to be an option to come back into that game because the team clearly feels comfortable with him as their backup center heading into the season. If he were fighting for his job, or showcasing for other teams he would have played much more than the first drive.
Instead, they gave him starter treatment. Do not get mad at me, I am just relaying the reality that the coaching staff likes Mustipher way more than fans in the comments.
1. Teven Jenkins
Easily the biggest development from the first preseason game was Teven Jenkins. Jenkins finally got a shot to start at right guard, something most fans have been calling for since the start of OTAs when he was losing work at right tackle.
Still, it was almost because Michael Schofield left them no choice, more than it was something Chicago seemed enthused about. Jenkins was pretty good, and had a small issue here and there. He also got to work beyond the starters on the first drive.
Still, it is hard to say he did anything to lose a possible grasp he has on the starting job.
More than Jenkins winning it is the reality that Schofield is losing it. Schofield played the entire second and third quarter and he did not look any better in that setting than he did the previous week.
Schofield is falling to the point of being on the roster bubble, making an obvious win for Jenkins. It seems like the starting five of Braxton Jones, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Teven Jenkins, and Riley Reiff is locked in for now.