NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Three players to watch in Saturday night’s preseason finale against the Titans:
CB Malik Muhammad
Injuries throughout the position have given the fourth-round rookie ample opportunity to play both outside cornerback and begin to learn the nuances in the slot. The Bears love that he’s a willing tackler. Coach Ben Johnson is excited about the trajectory, though it’s inconsistent: “Going up, little bit down, up,” Johnson said.
RB Salvon Ahmed
He’s been the Bears’ second-leading rusher, third-leading receiver and overall yards leader during preseason games. The Bears are trying to see if he’s a special teams fit, though — he played on 37% of kicking downs in Game 1 and 34% in Game 2.
“He hadn’t played a ton in his career, but what is my job? My job and our job … is to develop him to be able to do that,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said.
TE Sam Roush
He’s locked in as the Bears’ third tight end but is racing the clock to be consistent enough for the Bears to trust Week 1. Johnson said he believes he’ll be “phenomenal” eventually — but Johnson said tight end, behind quarterback, the hardest position to learn, given that they have to learn both passing routes and blocking schemes.