After seven months, there was finally some live Chicago Bears football.
The Bears hosted the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon and had a lower-scoring affair. In the second half, the Bears’ defense ended up making more significant plays.
But, the storylines were more about the offense on Sunday.
Here are our takeaways from the Bears’ first preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
The left tackle race is uneven
Braxton Jones started at left tackle on Sunday and played most of the first half. His experience shined, but there were some uneven moments.
Jones had a fantastic pancake block on a third-and-long play, where quarterback Tyson Bagent rifled a pass to Luther Burden III for a first down. Shortly after, on a fourth and goal from the four, Jones whiffed on a block. Bagent was still able to get the pass off to Maurice Alexander for a touchdown.
Trapilo was inserted into the game when the Bears were on a two-minute drill, spelling Jones. There wasn’t much that separated Trapilo from Jones, especially when Jones was going against the first-team defensive players and Trapilo faced second- and third-team defenders for a bit.
Trapilo didn’t play much in the game, as Theo Benedet played left tackle for most of the third and most of the fourth quarter for the Bears before Trapilo got back into the game with over six minutes to play in a tied game.
Still, the Bears will use Sunday as a set of data points to help determine their starting left tackle. These points render most of what we’ve seen in training camp until this point moot.
Trapilo was getting most of the first-team reps at left tackle while Jones was recovering from his ankle surgery. Now that Jones is back near full speed, the fourth-year player has taken back most of the first-team reps in the last week.
Trapilo isn’t out by any means. There are two more preseason games to play. The left tackle race, now down to two guys, will come with more data points soon.
We’ll learn more about the offense soon
It was hard to get a read on the Chicago Bears offense on Sunday. Tyson Bagent struggled to see open reads and the offensive line had only one potential starter playing on the offense. That was Jones, and maybe Trapilo.
But, the coaching staff was adamant this preseason game and last Friday’s joint practice would be a big benchmark in figuring out how the offense will continue to shake up.
The Bears’ offense, to start the game, struggled.
They went the entire first quarter without getting a first down. Rookie Kyle Monangai moved the chain first with a 13-yard run in the second quarter. There wasn’t much by the way of sustained offensive movement, either.
The Bears scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second quarter with a 16-play drive that spanned 79 yards and ate up 9:33 of game time. Their second-best drive of the game was a 13-play drive that went down to the Miami five-yard line. The Bears couldn’t convert on fourth and goal, and turned the ball over.
Next week might be different as the offensive install is over and the Bears can spend more time working on scripted plays and finalizing the things that do work.
That will come next weekend when the Bears host the Buffalo Bills.
Austin Booker continues to shine with preseason reps
Have yourself a day, Booker.
The Bears’ second-year defensive end had a fantastic day. Last year, he opened up the preseason with a three-sack game against the Buffalo Bills. On Sunday, he repeated that performance.
Against Miami, Booker had three sacks and a forced fumble that linebacker Power Echols recovered at the three-yard line in the third quarter. The Bears cashed in with a touchdown to take the lead.
In all, Booker had three quarterback hits and four tackles for loss on the afternoon. On a day when he would have increased reps, as most of the defensive starters didn’t play, Booker put his stamp on a game to prove he should get more looks at defensive end.
There’s a race between Booker and Dominique Robinson to get more looks at defensive end. Booker made a strong case on Sunday to earn more of a peek.
