Fans of the Chicago Bears will need to wait at least another week before they get their first taste of Caleb Williams and the rest of Chicago’s starters in the preseason, but the Bears did host the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener on Sunday afternoon.
The game ended in a 24-24 tie, but instead of kissing your sister, why not just go ahead and check out who the standouts of the afternoon were? That’s a whole lot less icky, isn’t it?
Austin Booker
The man that former Bears quarterback and current color commentator Jim Miller called “The Poor Man’s Maxx Crosby” early in the game put forth a Mad Maxx-esque performance in the first preseason contest of the year.
Since Bears play-by-play announcer Adam Amin felt comfortable enough making a Hamilton allusion when talking about Alexander Mattison, I feel comfortable enough borrowing a line from Aaron Burr (sir) here when I tell you, Austin Booker was Non-Stop against the Miami Dolphins.
Austin Booker’s activity was the most eye-popping development of the game. His motor never stopped, whether he was rushing the passer or chasing down ball-carriers down the field. Dennis Allen wants his defense to be disruptive, it’s been his M.O. for decades. Booker is the type of rusher off the edge who can absolutely make that happen.
Final Stat Line: 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 4 QB hits
Noah Sewell
While the third-year linebacker from Oregon isn’t going to unseat either Tremaine Edmunds or TJ Edwards as a starter, Noah Sewell at least strengthened his case to be the first linebacker behind Edmunds and Edwards on the depth chart on Sunday afternoon.
On the first drive of the game, Sewell forced a fumble that went out of bounds, and then made two tackles in the backfield on goal-to-go plays, including on 4th-and-goal stand from the 1-yard line. Sewell also had a pressure on back-up quarterback Zach Wilson in the red zone on the second Dolphins drive of the game that caused an incomplete pass.
Of all the linebackers competing for depth spots behind the starters — including Ruben Hyppolite and Amen Ogbongbemiga — Sewell had the most notable performance of the day. It doesn’t hurt that his brother, Penei Sewell, starred on the Detroit Lions offensive line under Ben Johnson.
Final Stat Line: 6 tackles, 1 tackle for loss
Kyle Monangai
With D’Andre Swift and other offensive starters sitting this one out, and Roschon Johnson nursing a foot injury, it was rookie Kyle Monangai who got the start for the Bears. After the opening drive of the game concluded with a 3rd down sack in which Monangai missed a block, the 7th round pick settled in nicely, displaying advanced vision and some unexpected pop in the running game.
Earlier in training camp, I raised the question whether Monangai could cut into D’Andre Swift’s carries this season. Monangai may not have done anything that threaten Swift’s position as RB1, his preseason debut was no doubt encouraging. Given Ben Johnson’s tendency to use multiple running backs, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Monangai earn some early playing time in the regular season.
Final Stat Line: 6 rushes, 30 yards, 1 kickoff return for 22 yards
Maurice Alexander
The quarterback-turned-wide-receiver from Florida International will have a tough time cracking the Bears 53-man roster, but Maurice Alexander made the most of his opportunities in his preseason debut for the Bears. In addition to a handful of screen passes, Alexander made what may have been the offensive highlight of the game for Chicago:
Alexander played sparingly for Ben Johnson and the Lions over each of the last three seasons, though he spent most of his time on the practice squad. A string of strong preseason showings will likely propel Alexander to a practice squad bid for the Bears too.
Final Stat Line: 4 receptions, 19 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 punt return for 9 yard, 1 kickoff return for 22 yards
Ian Wheeler
Bears fans will remember Ian Wheeler as a Hard Knocks darling last summer. Unfortunately, Wheeler’s fairy tale ended in tragedy, when the rookie running back — who is putting the opportunity to go to med school on hold — tore his ACL late in the preseason.
Wheeler stayed with the Bears throughout the 2024 season to rehab and recover, and was only recently activated from the NFI. He made his return against Miami and just as he did last year, flashed some promise. Wheeler is a long shot to make the roster, but he’s become a well-liked and respected member of the Bears organization, and it was great to see him return to the field.
Final Stat Line: 7 rushes, 20 yards, 1 reception, 14 yards
Case Keenum
For a guy who was signed by the Bears to be a glorified sherpa for Caleb Williams, Case Keenum played an impressive preseason game to kick off his 14th NFL season.
Final Stat Line: 8-for-10, 80 yards, 2 touchdown
Ben Johnson
It’s difficult to gather too much from the preseason, specifically when most starters are on the sideline in their dry-fit shirts and training camp hats, but there was one specific area where Ben Johnson’s impact was immediately felt.
In 2024, Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw 203 play-action passes, the highest mark in the league by a mile. Taking things one step further, the Lions were also the most efficient play-action passing offense in the NFL. Conversely, Caleb Williams, who like Goff started all 17 games last year, only threw 85 play-action passes, good for 16th in the NFL in 2024.
On Sunday afternoon, Chicago ran play-action 14 times, which stretched out over a 17 game sample size would be 238 play-action attempts. That’s what you call a sign of good things to come.
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