We’re just hours away from the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City opening the preseason at Soldier Field, marking an important milestone in the countdown to the 2022 regular season. First-year head coach Matt Eberflus will make his unofficial coaching debut against one of the best coaches in the league, Andy Reid.
Preseason football can go many different ways, depending on the play calls and players they want available for the game. Both teams appear to be in sync, however, as they each confirmed their starters will play for at least a few series on Saturday. That means fans will get a chance to see not only how the Bears top players will look, but how they look against the Chiefs starters as well.
Last year’s preseason opener was all about the debut of quarterback Justin Fields, who dazzled fans in attendance at Soldier Field with his ability to make big plays. Fields will still get plenty of attention, but who else is worth monitoring? Here are 10 players we’ll be watching when kickoff gets underway on Saturday, August 13 at 12 p.m. CT.
1
QB Justin Fields
Fields doesn’t have the fanfare he did last year since he’s more of a known commodity, but all eyes will still be on No. 1 as he works in first-year offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense for the first time. Seeing him stick it to former head coach and current Chiefs quarterback coach Matt Nagy wouldn’t hurt either. Fields should see about 25 plays on the day and hopefully they’re not all runs.
2
RB Trestan Ebner
Rookie running back Trestan Ebner has been a pleasant surprise at camp through two weeks. Whether it’s taking the ball right up the middle or catching a swing pass out of the backfield, Ebner has shown he has excellent quickness and speed. It will be fun to see what he can do against another NFL defense and how the Bears might utilize him.
3
WR Tajae Sharpe
A portion of the Bears wide receivers won’t be available for the game due to injuries and veteran Tajae Sharpe has come on strong these last few days of camp. Can he and Fields build on that growing chemistry to do some damage against the Chiefs secondary? A strong performance could continue to improve his chances of playing a role on this team in September while others work to get healthy.
4
OT Braxton Jones
One of the bright spots of camp has been the consistent and solid play of rookie tackle Braxton Jones. Set to start at left tackle, he will faces his toughest test to date as he will need to keep Chiefs pass rusher Frank Clark away from Fields. It’s the perfect barometer to measure Jones’ development as the regular season draws close.
5
OT Teven Jenkins
It’s been an interesting offseason for offensive tackle Teven Jenkins as he dealt with being demoted, an injury, and trade speculation heading into his second year. But now he has the opportunity to show what he can do and that’s worthy of being a starter on an offensive line, whether that ends up being the Bears or elsewhere.
6
C Doug Kramer
With veteran center Lucas Patrick still out due to a thumb injury, the Bears will be relying on reserve linemen Sam Mustipher and Doug Kramer to pick up the slack. Fans have already seen what Mustipher can (and can’t) do, which makes Kramer the one to watch closely. The rookie is backing up Mustipher but he will see plenty of reps to show how he holds up against interior NFL defensive linemen.
7
DE Dominique Robinson
Rookie defensive end Dominique Robinson has seen plenty of action this camp, working against the Bears offensive line. Once considered a long-term project, Robinson has shown plenty of promise and will now put his skills to the test against the Chiefs offensive line that has been revamped to protect Patrick Mahomes.
8
LB Nicholas Morrow
While star linebacker Roquan Smith continues to stay away from the field as he works through his desire for a new contract, that leaves veteran Nicholas Morrow as the player to hold down the linebacker position. Morrow signed with the Bears this offseason from the Las Vegas Raiders and is set to be the team’s middle linebacker and signal caller on defense. Morrow is familiar with Reid’s offense but this should make for a good evaluation as he makes his Bears debut.
9
S Jaquan Brisker
Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker took goal setting a step further when he outlined what he wants to do in the team’s preseason opener. “Probably get a turnover immediately,” Brisker told reporters this week. We’ll see if he can keep his word. But kidding aside, Brisker has looked like a true playmaker during camp. He’s bound to break up some passes Saturday and perhaps even come away with a turnover.
10
P Trenton Gill
For the first time since 2013, a player other than Pat O’Donnell will begin the season as the Bears punter. Rookie Trenton Gill will boot kicks for the first time in a game format at Soldier Field. The stadium has unique wind tunnels and, not to mention, extremely poor field conditions that last 12 months out of the year. Hopefully Gill can get over the learning curve quick and impress fans with his booming punts. Or at the very least, make them feel better about the punting game.
