The preseason kicks off for the Bears Thursday night vs. the Carolina Panthers, and there’s plenty to keep tabs on beyond the kickers.
While the defense has already appeared in camp to be in mid-season form, the offense has been inconsistent and anxiously awaits its first opportunity to compete with another team. It won’t have to see Khalil Mack and Co. — and neither will the Panthers, we should add — but should get a good test from Ron Rivera’s talented bunch.
Here are five players on offense we’ll be watching closely:
RB David Montgomery
It won’t stun us if he doesn’t get a lot of snaps, but even with Matt Nagy’s preference for sitting his key players in the preseason, we’ll be surprised if Chicago’s top pick doesn’t make his NFL debut. Remember, Nagy said at the team’s annual pre-camp press conference that Montgomery “should get a fair amount of carries in the preseason,” and that he’s anxious to see how the rookie’s exceptional tackle-breaking and contact balance — on regular display in the Big 12 — translates to the NFL.
It also won’t surprise us if, at the end of his rookie year, Montgomery ultimately isn’t the most impactful Bear who played in the preseason opener. Since his difficult first NFL padded practice, Montgomery has flashed daily — whether in pass protection, showing off his natural receiving skills or even getting physical in team drills.
“He’s very conscientious. He wants to do it right, wants to do it the way that we want it done, the way that it’s coached,” RB coach Charles London explained of Montgomery’s practice habits. “He’s very diligent. He’s learning to be a pro and he’s doing good at it.”
Montgomery remains the favorite to lead the Bears in rushing as a rookie. Thursday is his first real chance to show why.
TE Dax Raymond
There has been no shortage of opportunities for young tight ends to emerge in camp, with Adam Shaheen missing three days early on with a sore back and Trey Burton sidelined the past four coming off sports hernia surgery.
Yet Nagy said Monday the reserves are “growing slowly,” which isn’t a surprise considering they consist of a converted offensive tackle in Bradley Sowell and four undrafted rookies — none more promising than Dax Raymond, who received a team-high $45,000 signing bonus and appears to have NFL pass-catching polish
OT Rashaad Coward
After leading with a pair of rookies, let’s look at two vets, beginning with Coward, really only a veteran in name. The second-year converted Old Dominion D-lineman has a big fan in OL coach Harry Hiestand, who on Tuesday lauded Coward’s improved awareness and ability to self correct. But Hiestand also acknowledged that the Bears need a tackle who can fill Sowell’s swing role — the ability in a pinch to play on either edge — and we’ve yet to see Coward on the blind side this offseason, where more experienced Cornelius Lucas has appeared across from him with the second team.
Along those lines, also keep an eye on UDFA Alex Bars, who played inside and outside — under Hiestand — in South Bend and is still learning to “trust his health” and “get his balance back” coming off ACL surgery that made him a priority free agent instead of shoo-in draft pick.
WR Marvin Hall
Fourth-rounder Riley Ridley’s status for Thursday, unlike his bid for a roster spot, is unclear because he was sidelined early in camp with a hamstring injury, from which he only recently returned. Conversely, we’re uncertain whether Hall — despite his speed regularly creating conflict in camp for the ‘D’ — has done enough yet to make the club. But Emanuel Hall rarely being available thus far coming off surgery has shifted the spotlight mostly on Marvin and Javon Wims. Wims, Chicago’s seventh-rounder a year ago, has shown too much progress not to make the team, perhaps leaving Marvin vying for the final opening.
As explosive as he’s looked, and as routinely as he’s created separation, Marvin Hall’s hands have been a bit inconsistent in Bourbonnais. He could get the chance to show that’s not a long-term concern, while also showing out on special teams, something he’s done in the NFL, unlike Wims, Emanuel Hall and others.
TE Ian Bunting
Another tight end, eh? Nagy is all about creating advantageous matchups in the passing game, and few personnel packages are more in vogue across the league than “12” (one RB, two WRs and two TEs). He admitted he’d like to use it more, after the Bears deployed multiple tight ends on only 18 percent of the total snaps a year ago. Nagy’s closest pals, the Chiefs’ Andy Reid and the Eagles’ Doug Pederson? Their offenses ranked third and first, respectively, in the NFL in pass attempts with at least two tight ends on the field last season.
Enter Bunting, Chicago’s other undrafted tight end, whom offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich highlighted at Bears100 as the undrafted standout of the offseason. He isn’t quite as athletic as Raymond, but at 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, he’s a bit thicker, a lot longer and doesn’t appear that far behind Raymond as a receiver. What the Bears will look for in the preseason is whether either can be physical and contribute enough as a blocker, where Shaheen can’t currently be counted on and Sowell is nothing if not a wild card, to add vital insurance at the team’s most volatile spot outside placekicker.
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