The Chicago Bears are sitting at about the quarter mark of the season. With 17 games and not 16, it is not quite as even, but they are not past 25% of the games played. So, with a short break after the Thursday night game, it is a good time to look back on how the Bears rookie class has looked in their first quarter of NFL play.
Chicago Bears RT Darnell Wright
Darnell Wright has played 313 snaps for the Chicago Bears, 100% of the offensive snaps. He has 193 snaps in pass protection and 120 as a run blocker. As a run blocker, he has excelled in the NFL. He is at his best providing down blocks, pulling, and extending blocks into the second level to clear paths for longer runs.
For how big he looks, he is light on his feet and the Bears have utilized moving him in the run game.
He has had to iron some things out as a pass protector, but for the most part, he has held things down. Wright has had a few slip-ups, but Rashan Gary, Montez Sweat, and Chris Jones are responsible for some of his biggest losses this season, so that cannot be too concerning this early into his career.
Nik Bonitto also beat Darnell Wright on an inside step, and he had a step to the outside once in the game against Denver. Wright has done well when facing off with bigger, power rushers, but sometimes speed rushers can get to the outside and also cause Wright to overstep outside due to fear of losing, which opens an inside counter. These are minor things to look at for a player who has performed well as a rookie.
Grade through five weeks: B+
Chicago Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson
Tyrique Stevenson was able to get on the field immediately for the Chicago Bears. He has played 83% of the snaps because he missed some time against the Kansas City Chiefs with an illness. Overall, he has played 267 snaps, with 173 snaps in coverage.
As a run defender, he has been up and down. The Bears' defense has put him in a lot of situations where he has had to step up and make a tackle, but at the same time, he has not been consistent.
In coverage, it has been up and down as well. He was relatively unphased against the Green Bay Packers, but they were missing Christian Watson, and he spent a lot of his day on Dontayvion Wicks.
In week two, he was welcomed into the NFL by Mike Evans. Evans put up 122 yards against Stevenson. Stevenson did not play much in week three due to the injury but did not give up much to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, with whom he was mostly matched up.
In week four, he saw a lot of Brandon Johnson and Courtland Sutton and once again did not surrender much. Sutton beat him a couple of times, but he played well.
In week five, he saw a lot of Terry McLaurin. There was a drive or two when it looked like McLaurin had his number, but Stevenson consistently bounced back. He allowed 32 yards to McLaurin and had two important pass breakups.
Overall, Stevenson looked a lot more NFL-ready than the Washington Commanders first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes.
Tyrique Stevenson Grade: C+
Chicago Bears DL Gervon Dexter
Gervon Dexter has played 125 snaps this season, which has amounted to 38% of the defensive snaps. He has 77 pass rush snaps 47 run defense snaps, and Dexter dropped into coverage once. After playing just 21% of the snaps in week four, Dexter played a career-high 47.1% against the Commanders.
The Bears have tried to get him in when they have a lead and get more pass-rush opportunities. They have taken Andrew Billings off of the field to get more speed with Dexter. Dexter had been up and down before that, with some solid moments against the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, week five was Dexter at his best. He had six pressures on 33 snaps and was pushing linemen around. He dominated the Commanders center, and he even flashed some potential as a run defender.
After the way Dexter played in week five, the Chicago Bears will need to stop using him as a rotational player behind Billings and start to have him eat into the snaps of Justin Jones more.
Gervon Dexter Grade: B+
Chicago Bears DL Zacch Pickens
Zacch Pickens has played just 77 snaps, which is just 24% of the total snaps. He played 20% and 18% over the last two weeks, which is down from his first three weeks. Dexter was down in week four but saw his snaps shoot right back up in week five.
Pickens really struggled against the Chiefs, and it looks like the Bears are slow to give him a role back. Pickens was manhandled on the line and missed a tackle. He has brought next to nothing as a pass rusher and was supposed to be the better run defender than Dexter. After a poor run defense performance, he has struggled to get back on the field and has just six run defense snaps in the last two games after 31 snaps against the run in the first three games, including 11 snaps against Kansas City.
Zacch Pickens Grade: D
Chicago Bears RB Roschon Johnson
Roschon Johnson has 25 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown. He also has 11 catches for 58 yards on 12 targets. Overall, he has played 31% of the offensive snaps and 35% of the special teams snaps, which is about what was expected of him.
However, he came on a bit hotter than expected and has cooled in recent weeks. Johnson saw 24% of the rushing work in week one and was their best runner. He saw 27% in week two, and the team made D'onta Foreman inactive to get him more work after his big game.
Johnson jumped again to 36% of the carries in week three, but after that, he has trended down. He had just 17% in week four and 10% in week five. To be fair, he had a concussion in week five, which ended his game early. Week four was a bit of a surprise, but it was the first time the Bears had a real lead, and they did not need their pass-catching back. Still, Johnson has power and could have helped them grind out that game. The only thing holding Johnson back so far is his usage and the recent injury.
Roschon Johnson grade: B+
Chicago Bears WR Tyler Scott
Tyler Scott has three catches for 20 yards through five games. He has 64 offensive snaps, which is just 20% of the offensive plays. On them, he has run 42 routes, which leads him to 0.49 yards per route run. Scott had four kick returns for 84 yards in week one, then lost his job to Velus Jones.
Overall, Tyler Scott is a fifth-round pick, so it is hard to expect much. Still, he has not been able to separate from known bust Velus Jones, and Equainmeous St. Brown is still trusted over both of the recent draft picks. Scott was drafted to replace Darnell Mooney, so maybe the Bears will trade Mooney to get a better look at Scott because he is close to incomplete right now.
Tyler Scott grade: D
Chicago Bears LB Noah Sewell
Noah Sewell has played 13 defensive snaps and 114 special teams snaps. That is just 4% of the snaps on defense, but he plays 84% of the special teams snaps. Sewell has five tackles on 13 snaps. He has also been a trusted special teams asset.
Noah Sewell Grade: B+
Chicago Bears CB Terell Smith
Terell Smith has played 163 total snaps, with 113 in coverage. He has played 50% of the defensive snaps and 13% of the special teams snaps this season. In week one, he did not play and only played in dime week four. Still, he was beaten clean by Trey Palmer for a 20-yard completion.
In week three, he was thrust into action due to the Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson injuries. He played 57 snaps and gave up 63 yards in coverage. The big play was a dime by Patrick Mahomes to Justin Watson over him.
Smith was not targeted much in his first start against the Denver Broncos despite drawing a lot of Courtland Sutton. Still, he also saw the decoy man Brandon Johnson a lot. In week five, he kept Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson in check.
Smith has been aggressive as a tackler in run defense and has shown strong zone instincts in coverage. This has been a great fifth-round pick.
Terell Smith Grade: A
Chicago Bears DL Travis Bell
Travis Bell is on the Chicago Bears practice squad. We always knew he was going to be a project.
Chicago Bears S Kendall Williamson
Kendall Williamson is on the Chicago Bears practice squad.