After the Chicago Bears' second preseason game of 2024, it's not a surprise that much of the conversation has been about the impressive debut of Caleb Williams. Williams dazzled in limited action against Buffalo, completing 4-of-7 pass attempts for 95 yards in a performance that had this Bears fan downright giddy on Saturday afternoon. But as much as it feels like this season is all about Caleb Williams, by the start of the regular season, there will be 52 additional players on the Bears roster who like their rookie quarterback are aiming to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Chicago for the first time since 1986.
Aside from seeing a team's top draft picks in action for the first time, the primary purpose of the preseason is to figure out which players will get those final few spots on the 53-man roster. And in Saturday's 27-point win against the Bills — Chicago's most lopsided preseason win in 34 years — there were five Bears players who are very much fighting for their job this summer who showed up and showed out in Orchard Park.
Ian Wheeler (Running Back / Future Doctor)
The former HBCU standout Ian Wheeler made a big splash on Saturday afternoon — and on Tuesday night's episode of Hard Knocks — with 43 yards and 2 touchdowns on only five carries in Chicago's win in Western New York. Wheeler faces an uphill battle in a crowded running back room that includes D'Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, and as of last week, Velus Jones Jr. as well, but the undrafted rookie who put medical school on hold to chase his NFL dream at least knows what it feels like to find the end zone in the preseason.
Best case scenario for Wheeler: the Bears decide to trade Khalil Herbert before the regular season begins, cut Travis Homer, and Velus Jones Jr. remains more of a novelty within Chicago's offense rather than a vital cog, paving the way for Wheeler to surprisingly snag a 53-man roster spot.
Velus Jones Jr. (Running Back / Return Specialist)
Given that the Bears used a 3rd Round pick on Velus Jones Jr. just two years ago, many believe that Chicago will be hesitant to cut him when it still feels like there are stones left unturned. Well, the move to running back may be the final stone for the Bears and Jones to turn over.
Velus Jones Jr. wasn't perfect by any means against Buffalo, muffing a kick return attempt early in the game and then getting all turned around in the backfield on one play with Tyson Bagent in at quarterback, but his transition to running back showed some promise on Saturday afternoon, as he rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Micah Baskerville (Linebacker)
Micah Baskerville showed up at Bears training camp last year as an undrafted rookie free agent out of LSU and nearly earned himself a roster spot, spending the majority of the season on the Bears practice squad. A year later, Baskerville finds himself in a similar spot… fighting for a roster spot once again, with only the preseason and training camp to make his case.
As things stood heading into the second week of preseason, five linebackers — Tremaine Edmunds, TJ Edwards, Jack Sanborn, Amen Ogbongbemiga and Noah Sewell — were ahead of Baskerville on the depth chart, and therefore putting the 24-year-old Shreveport, Louisiana native squarely on the bubble. Fortunately, following a disappointing outing in the Hall of Fame Game, Baskerville bounced back with a nice performance against the Bills, which included a 53 yard interception return for a touchdown in the 4th quarter.
Daniel Hardy (Defensive End)
Though Bears general manager Ryan Poles continues to insist it isn't necessarily an issue, the biggest need in Chicago is without question help along the defensive line, and that means that more so than any other position group, the Bears have an all-out battle to determine who will start on the opposite side of the defensive line of Montez Sweat. Having a potential game-wrecker like Sweat is nice, but his impact is maximized only if the Bears can generate pressures elsewhere along the front. Otherwise, Sweat will be seeing chips and double-teams consistently throughout the year.
On Saturday, Daniel Hardy announced that he's throwing his hat in the proverbial ring, with hopes of at least catching on as a rotational piece along the Bears D-line.
The former Montana State standout was a 7th round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2021, and like Micah Baskerville, spent all of last season on the Bears practice squad, so he has familiarity with this franchise, this coaching staff, and this roster. And on Saturday, that comfort showed.
Promising rookie edge rusher Austin Booker AND Daniel Hardy accounted for 2.5 sacks each against Buffalo, giving Bears fans reason to pause and wonder whether Chicago needs to trade for an established edge rusher before the season begins. The Bears reportedly kicked the tires on Matthew Judon before the Patriots and Falcons agreed to a deal.
Matt Pryor (Right Guard)
No relation to former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior, Matt Pryor got the start on Saturday in place of Nate Davis — whose legal name should soon be changed to Nate Davis is Day-to-Day — and the results were promising: Pryor didn't get beat in any of Caleb Williams' nine pass drop backs against Bills starters, and looked stout as a run blocker. If Pryor can hold down the fort at right guard in Davis' continued absence, that should allow the Bears to let Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates keep battling for the starting center spot without having to move one of them over to guard.
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