The Ben Johnson era is not only upon us, but we are just a few days away from seeing it live in action. While preseason games historically hold very little weight, they will undoubtedly give Chicago Bears fans insight into what they can expect this season.
In a recent article on Bleacher Report, Brad Gagnon had the Bears as one of six NFL teams where the preseason will matter the most.
High Quality Opponents
It’s pretty common for most established teams to rest their starters for the first preseason game, if not for the first two. As a result, most preseason games may not give a great indication of a team’s promise, instead shedding more light on individual player performances. With that in mind, matching up against great teams usually helps teams see better quality players, even if they are not traditional starters.
This year, the Bears face two elite teams and one team that may also turn out to be elite this year. The Bears start off the preseason at home against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday before hosting the Buffalo Bills next week. After that, Chicago has a quick turnaround as they travel to Arrowhead to face the Kansas City Chiefs in their final preseason game.
While it is understood that the Bears will likely see little of Tua Tagovailoa, Josh Allen, and Patrick Mahomes, they will face three of the better coaches in the league and plenty of skilled players that will test them on both sides of the ball. Those small tests will be crucial for the Bears to identify what they need to tune up before the regular season begins.
Getting the New Offense Synchronized
Installing a new offense takes time. Installing a new offense with a second-year quarterback with an almost entirely new offensive line takes a lot more time. It’s no secret that the Bears have plenty of talent offensively. Their offensive line should be one of the elite units in the NFL and should allow Caleb Williams plenty of opportunity to come into his own as an NFL quarterback.
However, it’s essential to realize that this takes time, and it takes plenty of game reps as well. While practice is crucial, you can only learn or grow so much without facing live competition from an opposing team. From protections to audibles and hot routes, there is plenty that needs to be ironed out anytime a new coach comes into town. While these three preseason games certainly won’t help the Bears iron out all the kinks they may have, it’ll be a good indication of where they stand and how far they have left to go.
Winning these games isn’t important at all. Whether the Bears win or lose these games won’t tell us how far along they are in their process of adapting to their new coach. What will tell us is how many mental mistakes and miscommunications there are as they progress through the preseason. It won’t be perfect, and it may be ugly at times, but that’s what the preseason is for.
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With the Minnesota Vikings waiting in Week 1 and a trip to Detroit to play the Lions in Week 2 coming up within about a month, the Bears don’t have much time left to iron out any issues they may have. Luckily, preseason gives them a chance to make a statement and announce to the NFL that the North is about to get a whole lot more interesting.