The Chicago Bears opened up their season with a win against the 49ers. Beyond that, with a new coach and a new front office in place, the first week of the season is a great chance to see how the coaches feel about certain players. It is easy to lie in the offseason, but the amount and usage of certain guys playing time can tell you all you need to know.
With so much new in the building it is fair to say that we were going to learn a lot about the roster regardless. What are five interesting situations to take away from the first game?
5. Teven Jenkins and Lucas Patrick split
This one may not have as much long-standing predictability after this, but it was worth following. With Lucas Patrick nursing a thumb injury that has not had him snapping, many were questioning if the team would move him to right guard, or if they would keep Teven Jenkins thereafter he has been working at it the past three weeks.
The answer is both. Teven Jenkins started the game and played 31 snaps, a 53% snap share. Then, on an every-other-drive rotation, we saw Lucas Patrick out there for 27 snaps or a 47% snap share. That is a rather even split, with Jenkins getting four more plays, or essentially the odd drive as he started things out.
The thought is that when Patrick can fully snap the football he will move back to center, and Sam Mustipher will go to the bench. Still, one thing that is clear, is that the Bears like Mustipher more than casual fans. We will see how Patrick progresses and if this changes the way things worked in week one. For now, it was an even rotation at right guard.
4. Chicago Bears Dante Pettis playing over Byron Pringle
During the offseason, Byron Pringle was one of the bigger contracts the Chicago Bears dished out. He was expected to be the number two wideout behind Darnell Mooney, and serve as the gritty teammate who blocked and ran the tough routes.
However, a preseason injury had him sidelined most of the off-season. This may have led to him being eased in, as he played 10 snaps in the season opener. On the flip side, Dante Pettis has been looked at a bust who was on the roster bubble all summer. However, he played 23 snaps, 13 more than Pringle.
The split was 40% for Pettis, and 17% for Pringle. The reality is that Pringle is not competing with Pettis as much as Equanimeous St. Brown, who held down the WR2 role with 44 snaps, a 76% share.
Pringle and ESB do the same things and share a similar role. They combined to play for 93% of the snaps, as Pringle was often subbing for ESB. So, if ESB is healthy, will this trend continue? We should expect it to, yes. Pettis serves a different role that is needed, while the team only wants one of ESB or Pringle out there. ESB has done nothing to lose his job, and should remain the WR2 in snaps.
3. Dominque Robinson out-snapped Trevis Gipson
When the Chicago Bears signed Al-Quadin Muhammad, we questioned whether Trevis Gipson lost his starting job. The coaches brought in AQM from Indianapolis, so they know him well. On the flip side, Gipson is a Ryan Pace player enduring a scheme change.
So, when Muhammad started over Gipson it was no surprise. The surprise came later in the game when we saw that Dominique Robinson was also going to play for Trevis Gipson.
By the end, Gipson had 26 snaps, a 38% share while Robinson was at 28, a 41% share. Sure, that is not a lot, but a fifth-round rookie outplaying a third-year player that many saw as a breakout is notable.
The reality may be that Robinson just outplayed Gipson. They were on pace to play similar snaps, or Robinson was expected to play less, but his performance dictated a few more snaps. That was the difference between the two.
Still, Robinson will only be getting more snaps after his debut, so this could mean even less work for Gipson moving forward. He is not in the dog house but finds himself in a bad spot when it comes to the numbers.
2. Running Back Time-Share
David Montgomery fantasy owners have to be nervous. After the first game of the season, Montgomery is not the leading rusher on the team and is behind Khalil Herbert in rushing yards. However, it is clear that for now, Montgomery is still the top dog at running back.
To start, aside from yards, Montgomery had 17 carries while Khalil Herbert had nine. That is about double, so it may not have been as tight as some thought.
Beyond that, Montgomery played 38 snaps, a 66% share, while Herbert played 17 snaps, a 29% share. With that in mind, when you breakdown carries and snaps, it is still two-to-one in favor of Montgomery.
This is still noteworthy because that is new to Montgomery. In three games he was active last season he saw a snap share below what he played in week one. That means 10 starts with a higher snap share.
If anything, he is probably not going to get the same snap share he averaged last season, which was 74.6%.
Montgomery is the man for now, but after Herbert outrushed him it may get even closer in week two.
1. Fullback usage
The Chicago Bears brought in Khari Blassingame, which was a strong signifier that they would be using fullback much more in 2022 than they did in any of the Matt Nagy-era games.
While Blassingame was not the most impactful performer, he did get on the field for 11 snaps, 1 19% workload.
Still, while that is interesting, what makes it more interesting is seeing Jake Tonges on the field for nine snaps, a 16% share. The fact that he was only on the field for two fewer snaps than the starting fullback is notable.
One thing that has to be added is that Tonges is technically the third tight end as well, so he was not just stealing fullback snaps. Still, Blassingame can easily be a third tight end who motions to the end line and blocks the edge as well. The reality is that Tonges keeps winning the coaches over.
From OTAs to the training camp and preseason he has been a winner. Now, he is on the field as a rookie UDFA in week one. The versatility Tonges brings makes him a bit more valuable than Blassingame, and that is why it should be no surprise that they had such similar snap shares.
It will be interesting to see how much trust Tonges earns, and if he can become a starter by the end of the season.