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Devan shares her takeaways from the Bears preseason finale
The Bears won their preseason finale 24-15 over the Titans. Devan Kaney shares what she learned from the game.
That's all she wrote for the Chicago Bears preseason. Next up, some more work, though.
"Next week will be a lot of situational work, special teams emphasis, and a good heavy padded practice again," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "We've got a good plan for what that looks like. We'll give them some time away to be with their families and hit the reset button after a nice, healthy, long camp. When they come back, I know they'll be amped up and ready to go for Carolina."
But, there was plenty to glean from Saturday,
Here are six thoughts as the Bears finished their last preseason game, with roster cuts looming on Sunday.
We're learning more about Ben Johnson's preseason strategy
When asked about Caleb Williams participating in preseason games, Johnson was blunt.
"If I didn't feel good about Week 1, he probably would've played tonight," Johnson said. "He's right where he needs to be right now."
Caleb Williams did not play Saturday night. The coaches are fine with him.
This teaches us a little bit more about Johnson's preseason strategy. He's going to get guys into the preseason games they need to be in until he's confident they're ready for the regular season.
That explains why players like Williams – as well as Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet, D'Andre Swift and others – did not participate in Saturday's game. If that's how the coaches deem players ready for the regular season, then it's another look into Johnson's mind.
That makes it all the more interesting Salvon Ahmed didn't play on Saturday, while Roschon Johnson got the bulk of reps.
The Bears need to prove they're earning their spots.
Key players are getting healthier
When asked about the status for wide receiver Luther Burden III, Johnson was also blunt.
"He looks 100 percent to me," Johnson said.
That's that. See you in the regular season, Burden.
Meanwhile, Johnson said left tackle Ozzy Trapilo is hitting all the marks. He has yet to return to team drills, but has participated in individual position drills.
Left tackle and safety remain a work in progress
Johnson mentioned last week the left tackle and safety battles were the two position battles that he was most thinking about.
After the game on Saturday, he shared an interesting tidbit.
"This game was going to be a big part of the equation, and so we've got to go back and look at this tape," Johnson said. "I think we probably feel better about the tackle conversation right now than safety."
Kiran Amegadjie played most of the snaps at left tackle. Braxton Jones and Jedrick Wills Jr. did not play Saturday. That doesn't bode well for Amegadjie's status on the roster going forward. It remains to be seen what that means for Wills, who was also on the roster bubble.
But, the safety battle is one that now demands a bit more attention. Both Cam Lewis and Xavier Woods played on Saturday, and played deep into the game.
It seems the Bears wanted to see more of each. It remains to be see what they determine between those two and which one will play next to Dillon Thieneman come Week 1.
Top performers from the Chicago Bears' preseason finale vs. Tennessee
Here are our top performers from the Bears' preseason finale against the Titans., which includes two key pieces of the Bears' 2026 NFL Draft Class.
The one awful play earns earnest responses
In the first quarter, the Bears had one blotch on the resume.
This was a botched handoff between Tyson Bagent and Zavion Thomas. Titans defensive lineman Jacob Martin, who once played for the Bears, recovered the fumble.
The response from the two was telling.
"That's on me, I got to be better," Thomas said. "I will be better."
What about the quarterback?
"That's on me," Bagent said.
Accountability is good to hear, no matter if it's a meaningless preseason game.
Bears' defense played with some pride
Johnson was clear last week. A loss wasn't acceptable, even in the preseason.
The way the Bears lost was even worse. Johnson and the Bears coaches clearly challenged the team to bring a little extra heat. That resonated with the veterans, namely linebacker TJ Edwards.
"I thought we were physical as hell," Edwards said. "From an effort and attitude standpoint, it's what we wanted for sure."
Edwards played most of the first half as he continued his ramp up from a broken ankle he suffered in the playoffs. Now, he's seemingly ready for Week 1.
Johnson's answer about Edwards spoke volumes
Edwards is a respected veteran. Still, Johnson praised him using a similar message.
"He had more setbacks a year ago than what he's had in his career, and he takes a lot of pride in being available for his teammates. We just want to make sure he's feeling confident going out there, not just Week 1, but throughout this season."
That A word is there. "Available." Johnson is stressing that. Feel free to read into it as much as you want, but Johnson wants players who love football and want to be great teammates.
We'll continue to hear that until every player is healthy, it seems.