The Chicago Bears are officially back in action after blowing out the Cleveland Browns last week, as they face another AFC North team in the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chicago just completed a joint practice with the Bengals that had some fireworks but also showed where the Bears can improve. The Bears most likely won't play the starters since the Bengals have already announced they won't, so it will be all backups in this game.
There are seven Bears players who can't make a single mistake if they want to make the 53-man roster. Here are those players fans should watch during the game.
Which Bears players can't afford to make any kind of mistakes?
Ray-Ray McCloud III, WR
McCloud has not been on the team for very long, but he was great in his first game as a Bear, catching three passes for 63 yards, including a 28-yard completion. It was about as good of a start as he could have had, but Kaden Davis and Maurice Alexander had better games. All three are competing for a receiver and returner spot, so McCloud not only has to be great, but he can't have any drops or turnovers if he wants any shot at the 53-man roster.
JP Richardson, WR
Richardson has been as steady a receiver as they come over the last two preseasons. He finished the Browns game with two receptions for 34 yards. Those types of numbers are not going to cut it, so he's kind of in the same situation as McCloud. He needs to play better and avoid a single mistake.
Jedrick Wills Jr., OL
Wills simply had a bad showing against the Browns, with Tyson Bagent getting crushed on a sack caused by his left tackle. That play alone resulted in Wills moving to the right side of the line and out of the conversation at left tackle for the rest of camp. Among the players on this list, Wills might literally be one mistake away from not being on the team anymore.
Caden Barnett, OL
Barnett already came into training camp with an uphill battle to make the team as an undrafted rookie. He's shown good things over the last four weeks, but he can't afford any mistakes. If he wants to sneak onto the 53-man roster, he has to play a near-perfect game.
Kentavius Street, DL
Jordan van den Berg and James Lynch made some noise last week at defensive tackle, leaving Street in a tough situation. Street didn't record any stats, so in this game, he needs to prove that he can stop the run and add pressure. Even doing nothing in this contest is a mistake that could cost him his spot on the roster.
Jon Rhattigan, LB
Fields didn't really do much in the first preseason game with two tackles and a pass deflection, so he needs to find himself on the field. When he plays, he can't afford to make any mistakes. With the depth of the linebacker position, one mistake is enough for him to lose his spot pretty quickly on this defense.
Read more: Bears defender had Ja'Marr Chase 'fuming' after joint practice with Bengals
Dontae Manning, DB
Manning had a busy game against the Browns last week with five tackles. In this Bengals game, though, he's going to have to do a lot more than that to make the roster, with turnovers needing to be on his mind. A mistake in this game could turn fatal for his time in Chicago.
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