The Chicago Bears' first preseason game came and went, with the Bears notching their first win of the season. While the outcome will not have any impact on the regular season standings, there are plenty of storylines and takeaways to be had when it comes to how these players performed.
What are some the biggest storylines to come out of the game?
5. The Justin Fields to D.J. Moore connection is real for the Chicago Bears
It did not take long for the one-to-two connection to happen on the field. No, it was not perfect, but that is kind of the point. When you have two players, such as Justin Fields and D.J. Moore, it does not have to be perfect. These two have the athletic talent and skill set to give the team some margin for error and still make plays.
So, a low throw behind the line of scrimmage can become a touchdown over 60 yards rather easily. If this is a sign of things to come, there are big things coming soon in Chicago.
The key is that these two can strike from anywhere. We spent the summer talking about how these two can link up deep down the field for major splash plays, and while we did not see that, we still saw the explosion.
Moore has always been a player who can work all areas of the field, and now Justin Fields has the chance to show that he can hit at all levels as well. Fields did not get nearly enough layups last season, and he consistently had to create for himself. Moore making it easy for him for once is new and should lead to the best plays by Fields being even bigger than the play we saw on Saturday.
4. The Chicago Bears are done with Alex Leatherwood at tackle
Last year, around this time, Alex Leatherwood was getting plenty of buzz. He was a former first-round pick and had a great chance to stick around the roster at either tackle spot. However, he was slow to get on the field, and when he did, he was a disaster.
There was a question whether the Chicago Bears would be done with the Leatherwood experiment altogether or not. It does appear that it is over in some regards; at least his days at tackle may be over.
Leatherwood was awful at tackle last season and never found his legs there. With Braxton Jones settling in on the left side and Darnell Wright being drafted high, the team is now looking at his long-term capabilities at guard.
Leatherwood played 41 snaps this preseason, and every snap was at left guard. From right tackle last year, that is a flip across the field and a push inside. For his career, he has just three snaps at left guard, so this will be a new transition for him. Still, it does appear that he is more comfortable in that spot.
The team has Lucas Patrick and Ja'Tyre Carter, but they would technically be the backup center and right guard. So, Leatherwood does have a chance to stick around as the backup at left guard. He has two more weeks to show that he can stick at this position in the NFL.
3. The Chicago Bears have competition at the bottom of their edge rusher depth chart
Arguably, the two best players on the Chicago Bears' defense on Saturday were fringe roster players. They also both play the same position. Both Trevis Gipson and Terrell Lewis were as close to the roster bubble as you can get. You can make the case that one of the two, and not both, will make the roster.
So, this was a huge game for both. They took advantage. Gipson played 44 snaps and had eight pressures. Terrell Lewis played 38 snaps and three pressures. Both added some sacks, knocking the quarterback down.
When looking at the edge rusher depth chart, both Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker sat, so we can assume they are the starters. Rasheem Green and Dominique Robinson were pulled early after starting, so they may be three and four. This means that Lewis and Gipson are still competing for spots five and six, and it is hard to see Saturday's performance changing that.
If anything, this competition just got a lot spicier. These two will only get more snaps over the next two weeks, and this will be one of the most important battles to watch as the starters are eased into action.
2. Is Tyler Scott ready to be the Chicago Bears return man?
Tyler Scott is going to make the Chicago Bears roster as the fourth wide receiver. One of his best traits is that he played outside last year, but the Chicago Bears are working him into the slot so he can get on the field for whichever wide receiver is to go down.
However, Scott could show even more value on special teams than offense this year. Scott was not a return man for the Cincinnati Bearcats in college, but the Chicago Bears are giving him plenty of chances to handle that role this year.
Scott returned two kicks and one punt. He was one of three returnmen with Velus Jones and Nsimba Webster. The key to this storyline is Velus Jones fumbling and Tyler Scott handling the role just fine.
Velus Jones already brings little on offense. If Scott is safer in the punt return game, and he brings similar value as a kick returner, the Chicago Bears can use the roster spot on a different position and potentially move on from Velus Jones.
The progression of Scott will continue to hurt Jones. That is notable over the coming weeks.
1. The Chicago Bears rookies hit the ground running
The Chicago Bears rookies are the most important takeaways from the game. It is their first game action and a great chance to see where these players start their progress. Darnell Wright only got seven starts with the starting group, but that does mean he was on the field for two touchdowns.
Tyrique Stevenson saw a major workload. He played 46 snaps, starting the game and also playing deep into the third quarter. The team wants to know if they should move Kyler Gordon inside full-time, and Stevenson is putting in the work to show them he is ready for regular season work.
Gervon Dexter may have been the slowest rookie to get his gears up, but he did get plenty of work with 35 snaps. He was always the longer-term bet. Zacch Pickens was the more NFL-ready player and he got a sack in his debut.
As we noted with Scott, he was getting all kinds of work, and Roschon Johnson was one of the best players on the field in the second half. He broke multiple tackles on his longest run of the game, a 24-yard rush.
With Tremaine Edmunds sidelines, Noah Sewell started at the SAM in three linebacker sets and continued his strong summer. Terell Smith did not play, but Travis Bell picked up a sack, and Kendall Williamson saw the field as well.
Overall, Bell, Johnson, Pickens, Stevenson, and Scott exceeded expectations and put a strong step forward for a good year. Only Smith did not get on the field, so the rest at least showed something to build from as well.