The Chicago Bears will host the Buffalo Bills in the preseason finale, which will feature plenty of storylines and players to watch.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears will play their healthy starters, including quarterback Justin Fields. Eberflus didn’t specify how long they will play, but he said they will see a “selected number of plays” before being pulled.
There are plenty of roster battles to watch in this final exhibition game, including for starting jobs, depth chart battles and roster spots.
Here’s a look at five position battles to watch as the Bears face the Bills in the preseason finale.
1
Quarterback
While all eyes will be on Justin Fields in his second action of the preseason, the real competition starts behind him for the QB2 job. P.J. Walker was once believed to be a shoo-in for the backup role, but his struggles and the emergence of undrafted rookie Tygent Bagent have changed things. The Bears said there’s a legitimate battle for that QB2 role, and the coaches will take everything into account when making the decision — both practice and preseason performances. If that’s the case — and Walker once again struggles while Bagent shines — then Bagent might just shock everyone by landing that backup role.
2
Defensive end
The defensive line room is one worth monitoring heading into roster cuts next week, and there’s been a nice battle brewing at defensive end behind presumptive starters Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker. Dominique Robinson seems like a roster lock, which likely leaves two spots up for grabs between Rasheem Green, Terrell Lewis and Trevis Gipson. At this point, Lewis and Gipson have earned those spots after impressive preseason outings. Green hasn’t done much in his limited action to show he’s worthy of a roster spot over Lewis or Gipson. If Lewis and Gipson piece together another strong outing, they could punch their ticket for a spot on the 53-man roster.
3
Running back
At this point, Khalil Herbert hasn’t done anything to lose the lead back role, as running backs coach David Walker explained. But there’s another battle on the depth chart behind him between D’Onta Foreman and rookie Roschon Johnson. Johnson has put together an impressive preseason performance, which has forced the Bears to give him more opportunities with the first-team offense. Johnson’s versatility with his rushing, pass catching and pass protection abilities gives him an edge over Foreman, and we’ve seen that in the preseason. With another strong performance, Johnson could solidify himself in that RB2 role behind Herbert.
4
Cornerback
The expectation is rookie Tyrique Stevenson will get the starting nod opposite Jaylon Johnson at outside cornerback. But there’s still very much a competition between Stevenson and fellow rookie Terell Smith for the job. Stevenson has had an encouraging, yet far from perfect preseason, and he looks like a natural out there. Smith dealt with an undisclosed injury that held him out of some practices and the first preseason game, so he was playing catch-up to Stevenson. Both Stevenson and Smith are all but roster locks, but the competition for the starting job is worth monitoring in the final preseason game.
5
Wide receiver
There’s never been a question about Chicago’s top wide receivers in DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool. Rookie Tyler Scott is also a near lock for a roster spot, but the competition behind him has been a focal point all summer. Dante Pettis was placed on injured reserve this week, all but eliminating questions about who would make the cut between him, Velus Jones and Equanimeous St. Brown. While those six receiver spots seem set it stone, can someone like Daurice Fountain, who’s been having an impressive summer, pull off an upset with another strong preseason outing?
