The Chicago Bears kicked off the 2025 preseason at home on Sunday, tying their matchup with the Miami Dolphins 24-24 at Soldier Field.
Very few starters took the field in the preseason opener. Braxton Jones and Tyrique Stevenson were the only full-time starters on offense or defense who played for Chicago in their Week 1 preseason matchup. Rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden saw playing time early in the game, turning the reps over to players further down the depth chart in the second half.
It was a tightly contested battle, with the lead trading back and forth between the Bears and Dolphins. In the end, it ended in a draw.
Here are some key takeaways from the Bears’ preseason opener.
The biggest standout from the Bears’ first preseason game was Austin Booker. He ended up with three sacks and four quarterback hits against Miami, kicking off 2025 on a high note.
Granted, Booker looked good in the preseason last year and didn’t do much of note during the regular season. However, he was consistently winning at the point of attack, generating pressure and getting to the quarterback with quickness, effort, and speed-to-power conversion. As he heads into Year 2 of his NFL career, showing that he can win with power could do wonders for him down the line.
The Bears have an open competition for the second-string quarterback role between Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent. On Sunday, it was the former who looked sharper against the Dolphins.
Bagent threw a touchdown pass to Maurice Alexander, but he also threw an interception. He struggled a bit with going through progressions and finding an open man past his first read. Keenum as a 37-year-old veteran was predictably more comfortable scanning the field, finishing with 80 passing yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
Though Bagent was listed as the second-string quarterback on the Bears’ first unofficial depth chart, both he and Keenum have taken reps with the second-team offense in training camp. Going off the preseason opener, Keenum was more poised and made better decisions with the football.
Both Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo saw significant playing time on Sunday as both compete for a starting left tackle spot. While offensive line play is tougher to break down individually on the broadcast than other positions, neither tackle seemed to wow me particularly.
There were a couple instances where Jones and Trapilo got beat with speed, whether on outside rushes or when edge rushers worked across their chests. Jones, in particular, lost a rep on Bagent’s touchdown pass to Alexander. With left tackle being such a key position for Chicago’s offensive line, it wasn’t super encouraging to see some pressure allowed by the two top competitors for a starting role.
Here are a few more Bears players who looked solid upon first viewing:
- WR Luther Burden III
- RB Kyle Monangai
- DT Zacch Pickens
- CB Tre Flowers
- LB Noah Sewell
- RB Ian Wheeler
