The Chicago Bears preseason opener was a success as the team walked away with a win. All of the talk will be focused on Justin Fields and D.J. Moore and the magic that they created, but the real important battles in the preseason are the bottom of the roster players fighting to make the 53-man.
While there are still two more weeks for things to get locked down, there are a few players on the Bears who may have locked down a roster spot.
5. Equanimeous St. Brown is still a fit with the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears fans do not love Equanimeous St. Brown, but it is fair to think that fans will like him more as a fourth or fifth wideout compared to the pseudo number one that he had to be last season. St. Brown was pushed down the depth chart but not pushed off the roster, and if anything, his play this week showed that he is a roster lock.
Justin Fields only played seven snaps, but four of them came with Equanimeous St. Brown. They are not wasting snaps with Justin Fields on players who are not making the roster. The Bears love St. Browm because he does all the dirty work, and he did just that on the Khalil Herbert catch and run for a touchdown.
He was blocking deep down the field to help spring that run into the end zone. More than that, he played nine special teams snaps. ESB did not play special teams last year, but that is because he was out there nearly every snap on offense.
Now that his role is more minor, he will need to play special teams. So far, he has checked every box for a depth wideout. It is hard to see him not making the roster,
4. Did Terrell Lewis do enough to earn a roster spot with the Chicago Bears?
Fans are excited about Trevis Gipson, and he did have eight pressures to lead the way. However, you have to remember that he may have started the game behind Terrell Lewis, and as well as he played, Lewis matched him snap-for-snap. Lewis finished with two sacks in the game, so it is hard to say that Gipson caught him. It is easier to say that Lewis is locking himself onto the roster.
The Terrell Lewis buzz goes back to OTAs when he was the best player there. Reports out of training camp are that he is excelling, and he followed that up with a strong preseason opener.
Lewis has more draft pedigree than Trevis Gipson, and Ryan Poles claimed him off waivers while he inherited Gipson. More than that, he saw Gipson last year and was not impressed.
When you look at the Bears depth chart, DeMarcus Walker and Yannick Ngakoue did not play at all, signaling their status. Rasheem Green and Dominique Robinson barely played, showing that they have priority next.
Then, there is Gipson and Lewis, who both played a ton because they need to earn their roster spot.
3. Travis Bell is right on the edge of the Chicago Bears roster
Former seventh-round pick Travis Bell is right on the fringe of the Chicago Bears roster. He is obviously behind Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens, Justin Jones, and Andrew Billings on the depth chart, so the question is more about whether the team keeps a fifth lineman and less about whether he can jump anyone on the depth chart.
So, he is essentially battling other positions. For Bell, the question is more about just how raw he is versus his upside. The first thought was that he is so raw that he would not need to make the roster, and would circle to the practice squad.
However, a sack in his NFL debut says he may have the upside that warrants keeping him on the roster. He was drafted, so there has to be interest from other teams, and if he plays like he did Sunday, he is the type of player teams will take a shot on. Still, he has two weeks to go. He is not a lock yet, but he is trending that way,
2. Jaylon Jones flashed to make the Chicago Bears roster
The Chicago Bears will have a debate about what they do at cornerback. For all intents and purposes, five spots are locked up; the question is who will be taking the sixth if there is one. The top five will be Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon, Terell Smith, and Josh Blackwell. Smith is the outside backup, and Blackwell is in the slot.
So, the sixth cornerback will need to be a special teams asset to make the roster. That is why Jaylon Jones is now on this list. Jones was the best special teams player for the Bears in the preseason opener, and he played the most snaps. So, you know the team wanted a real look at what he can bring to the table.
He excelled and may have earned a job. The last spot on a 53-man roster is always for the special teams players, and if Jones is the best in that area, he is probably not even the 53rd guy, he is higher than that.
Jones still has to prove it more on special teams, but this is how he made the roster last season, and it looks like he is about to do it again.
1. A.J. Thomas has good standing with the Chicago Bears
A.J. Thomas was a UDFA from Western Michigan last season and made the team by sticking on the practice squad. He did end up getting called up late in the season when things were essentially wrapped up, but it was a good experience for him.
It showed that the team wanted to see more about what he could bring, and he got snaps on defense and special teams down the stretch run. Now, he is back for year two, and he has a strong shot to make the Chicago Bears 53-man roster.
Thomas was the second-string safety this weekend. Elijah Hicks is technically the number three since he came in and started for the injured Jaquan Brisker. However, when Eddie Jackson left the game, it was Hicks and Thomas as the three and four. It was not the most noteworthy play by Thomas, but he grabbed an interception, helping to confirm his roster spot.
Thomas is ahead of both Adrian Colbert and Kendall Williamson. The good news for Thomas is that the team will definitely keep one of those three, and possibly even two. If that is the case, he is a lock, but right now, he is also the leader for the fourth safety spot.