After the Chicago Bears' second preseason game, there are plenty of notes to take away. Combined with the first preseason game and training camp, there is now a strong sample size of what we have seen from these players in the 2023 season. So, who are some players that have their stock on the rise with two weeks until roster cutdown day?
10. Tyson Bagent is proving to the Chicago Bears that he belongs in the NFL
Even when the Chicago Bears star quarterback Justin Fields was given the night off, the biggest story of the night was still the quarterback position. He went 9-10 for the game and is now 13-15 for the entire preseason.
More than that, he has shown poise, accuracy, and ability to extend the play, and most notably, a strong arm. You can see the difference in velocity when he throws compared to someone like Nathan Peterman.
Bagent did not take long to get ahead of Peterman on the depth chart, and now the question is more about PJ Walker. Walker has not played nearly as well, and Bagent has at least made things closer than expected.
The Chicago Bears could probably get Bagent onto the practice squad, but with his position, if he plays another strong game, the team may not want to risk it. This will be fun to watch in week three of the preseason.
9. Elijah Hicks is growing on the Chicago Bears
Elijah Hicks has been a winner of the summer. Hicks is a former seventh-round pick, but he has made himself a name on the Chicago Bears roster. He made the roster last year, mainly due to special teams value. Still, injuries allowed him to get onto the field on defense as well.
Hicks learned on the fly, but you can see this season that the experience he earned last year is showing up. He is more mature, and it looks like the game is slowing down for him. He started next to Eddie Jackson last week, and this week it was Hicks and AJ Thomas getting the nod. However, Hicks was out of the game early.
He did not get the starter treatment, but he did get treated like a lock for the roster and someone who may have a role eventually. Whether it be an injury to Jackson or Brisker, the team would roll with Hicks, and if they want to go with dime looks, it will be Elijah Hicks as well.
8. Khalil Herbert is not in a committee
The question all summer has been how the Chicago Bears will divvy up the workload at running back. Will they go with a running back by committee, or will one of the three big names win the job? A case could be made for all three making the team for varying reasons. However, through two weeks of preseason play it has been rather clear that Khalil Herbert will lead the committee, and honestly, it may not be much of a committee.
Herbert may be the lead dog, and D'onta Foreman may just be competing with Roschon Johnson for backup running back snaps. Herbert played all seven snaps with Justin Fields in the preseason. One of the big questions was his passing game value, and he caught a touchdown pass in the seven snaps that he was on the field.
Then, in week two, Herbert got the starter treatment along with DJ Moore, Justin Fields, and other obvious starters. Foreman worked with the backups, and Johnson was behind Foreman. Johnson moved up the depth chart and has looked like he is ready to push Foreman. However, He is not quite at Herbert yet, and he may not catch him, as he is a fourth-round rookie after all.
It may be a combination of Foreman not living up to expectations and Herbert exceeding them, but it is clear that Herbert is trusted in all scenarios, and Foreman may be losing work to Johnson before he catches Herbert.
7. AJ Thomas is a lock for the Chicago Bears roster
As we noted with Elijah Hicks, he has locked down the third safety. He will be the primary backup at both spots and will play dime when called upon. Still, the Chicago Bears cannot just keep three safeties, even if Hicks can back up both spots. Through two weeks of the preseason, it has become clear that AJ Thomas is the fourth safety.
Thomas ascended in training camp last year and stuck on the practice squad. He got some playing time last year and is showing that it is paying off this year. He clearly has a step on the rookie seventh-round pick Kendall Williamson, but he has also held off Adrian Colbert.
Thomas just appears near the football often. He had an interception on the tip drill in the first game and almost had another in week two. More than that, he has been the fourth safety from the start of training camp through the second preseason game. He started next to Elijah Hicks, with Brisker and Jackson out this week.
Nothing Thomas has done suggests he will not make the roster. He has one more week to make sure his job is secured, but it is hard to see anything happening to change his circumstances now.
6. Is Dante Pettis gaining steam to make the Chicago Bears roster?
About two weeks ago, Dante Pettis had no shot to make this roster. However, in the true Undertake meme form, Pettis is arising from the dead to show that the final days of summer may be the most important. The reality is that his main case for making the roster was that he is the starting punt return option.
So far, through two weeks of training camp, no one has unseated him for the job. If anything, he has held down the job even stronger. Velus Jones fumbled it away in the first week and has not had a chance to redeem himself. Tyler Scott has been given chances but has not shown enough yet as a rookie.
The big issue is that both Jones and Scott missed the past couple of days of practice. This led to Pettis getting all of the work in practice and thus starting in the role in the preseason. He did nothing to lose the job, and if anything, his safety in this area has made it even tougher to knick him off.
A few weeks ago, he was injured, and Jones and Scott got all the work. Now, those two opened the door for Pettis again due to injuries of their own. If one or both cannot get back soon, the fan-favorite Dante Pettis will be on the roster for another season. Right now, it is trending that way.
5. Macon Clark is moving up the Chicago Bears depth chart
The Chicago Bears had a question mark in the slot entering this game. Kyler Gordon was given the starter treatment, and he did not play at all. Then, backup slot cornerback Josh Blackwell has been out for a few weeks, so the third-string option would be thrust into starter snaps. Because we do not know the nature of the Blackwell injury, this could end up with the third-string option making the 53-man roster.
In the first preseason game, it was Greg Stroman taking most of the work in the slot. However, in preseason week two, it was Macon Clark getting the start. He got all of his work with the players who started, and his night was over rather early. This is interesting for a player who may or may not be fighting for a roster spot.
The Bear may have given Clark one week after giving Stroman one and then deciding who was best to get the nod in week three. Or, Clark had a strong week and jumped Stroman on the depth chart. With the combination of the Blackwell injury, the odds of Clark making the 53-man roster just soared in the past 24 hours.
4. Two former Chicago Bears draft picks are ascending
The Chicago Bears threw darts at the wall at the end of the 2022 NFL draft. They drafted four linemen on day three, hoping for one and maybe two can stick. Braxton Jones became the starter at left tackle, a huge win. Zach Thomas was cut and found a home elsewhere, but now Doug Kramer and Ja'Tyre Carter are starting to come into their own. They could make it three of the four linemen to end up a success.
Carter has been getting all kinds of work thanks to injuries above him. Nate Davis has been in-and-out and has not played in the preseason, while Lucas Patrick has struggled to stay on the field since the Chicago Bears drafted him. With both of them down, Carter excelled.
Patrick being hurt also gave Doug Kramer a chance to climb up the center depth chart. Cody Whitehair is banged up now, too, so Kramer is the best option at center currently on the roster. Both Kramer and Carter started and played into the second half of preseason week two. They were two of the best linemen out there.
Carter looks like he belongs, and Kramer has shown growth after missing his rookie season. Both of them are rising with a few weeks to go in the preseason. Is there a chance that either or both makes Lucas Patrick expendable?
3. Tyrique Stevenson is gaining experience with the Chicago Bears
It was not the best game because he had a personal foul and also saw a touchdown reception go right through his hands. Still, the preseason is all about roles and usage, and it is hard not to look at Tyrique Stevenson and like what you saw.
He did not get the starter treatment and ended up playing into the second half. However, that is valuable for a rookie who is about to start on the outside. Speaking of that, it is pretty clear that the team will start Stevenson when week one comes around.
He has gotten so much work here, while Kyler Gordon has strictly been in the slot. That is why these snaps are so valuable for him. When Stevenson takes the field on week one, he will be one of the more experienced rookies in the NFL, thanks to how much work Chicago is giving up.
So, the ups and downs are expected from a rookie cornerback. The experience is what is valuable and what is keeping his stock rising with two weeks to go until we get into the regular season.
2. Roschon Johnson should get work with the Chicago Bears starters
Some of it is because of an injury to Trestan Ebner, but anyone watching the Chicago Bears the past two weeks knows that Roschon Johnson is ascending in a major way. He moved up the depth chart this week and had seven rushes for 32 yards. So, in the preseason, he is up to 19 rushes for 76 yards.
More than the stats, he has shown in pass protection, as a pass catcher, and on special teams. His vision and movements have been stellar, and he pushes the pile forward with his power. The reality si that he is moving up quickly and may be on pace to catch D'onta Foreman sooner than later.
He brings power that Foreman does but brings more to the passing game. He is getting the most out of the preseason and is showing that he could be the man. At his current progression, he could be healthy and ready to grind teams down in the winter months after the speed of Herbet shocks teams early on in the NFL season.
1. Terrell Lewis may be a breakout candidate on the Chicago Bears
A lot of the talk among the Chicago Bears edge rushers has been about Trevis Gipson and his status on the roster bubble. However, another player on the roster bubble who may be performing even better is Terrell Lewis. The difference between Lewis and Gipson is that Lewis has had this consistent momentum from OTAs through this week, while Gipson has been hotter and colder.
Lewis was ahead of Gipson on the depth chart, and they both played great in the preseason opener. So, it should not be a surprise that Gipson did not pass Lewis this week. Lewis got on the field before Gipson and got on the field for a NASCAR package, which featured Rasheem Green, Gervon Detxer, and Dominique Robinson.
It shows that they may have him in their plans for a certain package when the regular season comes around. That would go a long way in him being active on gamedays, and thus being worth of a roster spot.
Lewis also was a menace in this game and outplayed Gipson. You can say Gipson was better in week one, but not by much. Lewis is much better in week two. He also was better in training camp and OTAs. He should be as close as you can get to a lock for this roster.