A few players have a lot on the line in the Chicago Bears preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday afternoon. As is the case in any exhibition contest, individual performances and high-quality effort are more important than the outcome of the games. Some will be fighting for their place on the roster, while others are vying for position on a depth chart that suddenly looks competitive across the board.
We have seen major developments in a few roster battles since training camp began, as a few players have vastly outperformed expectations (*cough Tyson Bagent cough*) while others have fallen flat. Saturday's contest marks the final opportunity for players to make a strong impression on the coaching staff ahead of the 53-man roster cutdown on Tuesday.
Matt Eberflus confirmed that the starters will return to the lineup tomorrow, which will hopefully set a high bar for the backups. It will also be interesting to see just how long they will play, and the order in which they are relieved (and specifically who relieves them).
While the Bears might not have as many blue-chip players as some other teams, they are a young team with a lot of talent, which makes their roster battles more interesting than the elite squads across the league. Some position battles may be more important than others (a few starting gigs are on the line), but they will all be fun to watch in the contest.