It took 1 Bears preseason game for Jamree Kromah to announce his arrival

There was plenty of good about the Chicago Bears' dominating performance against the Cleveland Browns in their preseason matchup.

Chicago's offense racked up over 400 yards and scored 24-second half points to run away with the game. The defense stood tall, creating three turnovers to set up the offense.

It may be hard to pinpoint one performance on the Bears that stood out from the rest, since so many players played well. One player, though, went from a sure-fire practice squad player to potentially solidifying his spot on the 53-man roster.

Bears just found out that Jamree Kromah is not the same player they remember

Last year, Kromah was a decent edge rusher with potential, but not one Bears fans were going crazy over. After being on the practice squad for half of the 2024 season, Kromah got himself on the practice squad again last season.

2026 might end up being very different, and that's because of what Kromah did in the 34-10 win over the Browns in the preseason opener. His first-half sack, forced fumble, and fumble recovery that Kromah created on Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson were a massive part of his success. Kromah would end up getting a second-half sack of Dillon Gabriel to solidify his great day.

Kromah's final stat line was impressive. He finished with six tackles, three tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Yeah, he stayed busy in the game.

After the game, Bears head coach Ben Johnson was asked about Kromah's breakout performance. Johnson credited Kromah with taking in the coaching and showed that his hard work is paying off.

"You see it in the springtime, the new techniques we're coaching with and he's flashing, but you wonder if this is when he turns it on," Johnson said. "In a game like this, you see the get-off, the relentlessness, and you feel his presence every snap. The D-linemen were hooting and hollering for him because they see him making plays. He's such a hard worker who's been in the program for a minute, so seeing him have success on the field is huge."

So after being in the NFL over the last few years, what led to Kromah's sudden breakout? Well, besides working on the new techniques Johnson talked about, Kromah told reporters after the game that he focused on getting stronger and lost over 20 pounds in the offseason.

"I'll say one thing I did for sure, like, changed my body and nutrition because I was much more heavier last year," Kromah said. "So I wanted to make some changes by losing weight. I lost over 20 pounds, but got stronger and then put more lean mass on. So it's like this is the best I've felt. So I took advantage of a lot of things and made some changes, but I had to look at the man in the mirror, be true to myself, and come up with a real plan."

Watching the game, Bears fans can clearly see the difference in Kromah's game. He was so fast off the line and was able to get in the backfield so much more easily than in the past. That was the true definition of a game-wrecker who just controlled the game from start to finish.

The vibes have completely changed at defensive end after Kromah's performance. He feels like a lock to be a backup now, and guys like Jeremiah Martin and Jonathan Garvin are on the hot seat.

Read more: Jedrick Wills Jr. needed one play to put his Bears' future in jeopardy

Things can definitely change in the next two weeks, but Kromah has done more than enough to earn his spot on the team. He appears to be the best he has been, and he's going nowhere.

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