10 Chicago Bears players who have their stock rising after preseason week one

6. AJ Thomas made a big play when he needed to

AJ Thomas was a UDFA last season. He used the preseason to stick around all year, mostly on the practice squad. Thomas did get called up late into the year, but it was well after the season was lost. Still, he is back for year two and has a strong path to the roster.

Looking at the initial depth chart, he was a backup behind Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson. Like the depth chart showed, Elijah Hicks was the third safety stepping in for Brisker. Then, when Jackson left the field, it was A.J. Thomas stepping in as the backup.

He played 20 snaps and ended with an interception. This is huge because he is still competing with Adrian Colbert, and Kendall Williamson for a roster spot. Thomas played fewer snaps than both, but that may be a good sign. All of his snaps came in the first half, while these two finished out the second half.

More than that, the rookie Williams had a rough go of it. Thomas also got himself on four phases of special teams for eight snaps. As of now, he is firmly on the roster. We will see if Williamson and Colbert can do anything about it in the coming weeks.