Following a noteworthy offseason, the Chicago Bears are entering this season with some promise. They let most of their free agents go and fired Matt Nagy. In preparation for a new beginning in 2022, the Bears released more than 30 veterans from the 2021 season. In other words, the Bears underwent a major overhaul.
They did make it clear that they intended to give their rookie starters a sizable amount of playing time in this preseason opener. Also worth noting is that although Trevor Siemian will have the most of the work at quarterback in this game, Justin Fields will start.
Interestingly enough, when the Chicago Bears host the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday in the club's first preseason game in Chicago, former Bears coach Matt Nagy will be on the opposite end. Nagy was dismissed in January and replaced by Matt Eberflus after having a 34-31 record in four seasons with the Bears, including a 6-11 mark in the most recent season. One month after being fired by the Bears, Nagy accepted a position as the quarterbacks coach for the Chiefs. He actually used to work as an assistant in Kansas City for five seasons.
As for Matt Eberflus, the new head coach of the Bears is attempting to change the team's atmosphere by enforcing his “H-I-T-S” philosophy of “Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways, and Smarts.”
It remains to be seen how that will materialize in 2022. For this particular game, Eberflus said he will play his starters for extended periods of time. That makes sense since as the new head coach, he is trying to make a statement. As such, experts believe Chicago will beat the Chiefs.
Aside from that, here are a few other things to look out for.
Bears Preseason Week 1 Predictions
4. Roquan Smith won't play
Linebacker Roquan Smith regrettably asked for a trade earlier this week. He no longer wants to join the Bears this season. This seriously weakens their defense moving forward, and it'll soften them up in their preseason opener.
Just recently, Smith was taken off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list by the Chicago Bears. Still, he won't play against Kansas City.
Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus on Roquan Smith, who sat out practice after coming off PUP: "We expect all of our healthy players to practice, and that was his decision." More from Eberflus: https://t.co/sCXVqFWaZu
— Colleen Kane (@ChiTribKane) August 11, 2022
Recall that on July 26, Smith arrived at training camp without a new deal. Observers anticipated that he would hold out until he and the Bears came to an agreement. The former first-round selection expects to make $9.7 million in the last year of his rookie contract.
Smith is coming off arguably his best season yet, so again, this is a huge loss for the Bears.
3. Braxton Jones will be tested at LT
Noboy expected rookie Braxton Jones to start yet, but he will, in fact, do just that. Again, the Bears drafted him in the fifth round this year. Fifth-rounders don't usually start, but Jones will do that.
Jones will start at LT despite originally listed to play behind Riley Reiff. The coaches are quite high on Jones, which is crazy for a kid who comes from a relatively lesser-known school like Southern Utah. Jones will get the reps he needs to prove himself. If he does well, Jones could be a great steal for the Bears.
2. Equanimeous St. Brown will get a TD
Coming from the Green Bay Packers, Equanimeous St. Brown will be an interesting pickup for the Bears.
Prior to training camp, everyone saw Byron Pringle as the obvious pick to be one of Justin Fields' top two targets at wide receiver to pair with Darnell Mooney. It hasn't happened that way throughout camp, though. Pringle hardly did anything impressive before breaking his quad. St. Brown, meantime, continued to turn heads. He has unmistakably won the quarterback's and the coaches' confidence. The 6'5 former seventh-round pick never received much workload in Green Bay, but he'll get opportunities here versus the Chiefs.
Fields and St. Brown should connect for at least one TD.
1. Justin Fields should impress even if he doesn't play much
In one of their latest sessions at camp, Justin Fields operated a crisp offense despite the lack of offensive weapons. He worked with Darnell Mooney, Equanimeous St. Brown, Tajae Sharpe, and backup tight ends Chase Allen and Jake Tonges.
Looking ahead to their preseason opener against the Chiefs, Fields should have a significant amount of snaps. He should impress and get a couple of TDs.
#Bears Insiders See Signs Of Justin Fields Taking A Josh Allen Leap https://t.co/pbNx7Jm0nA pic.twitter.com/hZE7WZie9Z
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) August 11, 2022
Having said that, Trevor Siemian will take the majority of the snaps because Justin Fields will eventually leave the game. The coaching staff won't play Fields the entire game, and they will turn to the seasoned veteran Siemian. Remember that a few years ago, Siemian started for the Denver Broncos, demonstrating his ability to perform well. Fields should put the Bears in a good position to win, and Siemian should take it home.
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