3 Chicago Bears who won't be back with a poor preseason performance

Expectations are as high as ever in the Windy City.

The Chicago Bears jettisoned quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and selected USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago's front office seems to have learned from their past mistakes and opted to invest in structuring a strong offense around their new quarterback.

Williams will not be asked to carry a barren offense to the postseason. Chicago is implementing a new offensive scheme under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and Williams will have a full arsenal of weapons to help alleviate the pressure and scrutiny he will undoubtedly face early in his career.

There are plenty of players on Chicago's roster that will have to perform well throughout the preseason to earn a role on the team's loaded roster. For those unheralded players, their journey to a roster spot began on Thursday.

The Chicago Bears opened up the preseason against the Houston Texans in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Although the game was cancelled due to inclement weather, there were approximately three quarters for players to showcase their talent. Chicago didn't field any of their starters in the lineup, which gave backups plenty of opportunities during the 21-17 win.

3. Tyson Bagent

While Williams is the unquestioned starting quarterback of the Bears, the backup position is still uncertain. Tyson Bagent performed well last year and solidified his place on the team, but Chicago brought in quarterback Brett Rypien to compete with Bagent for the role. Both quarterbacks have posted a 2-2 record as starters, and both of them have subpar touchdown-to-interception ratios.

Rypien has some familiarity with Waldron's new offense, however. He spent the past season with the Los Angeles Rams as Matthew Stafford's backup. Waldron spent four years with the Rams, who ran a similar offense to the one Waldron will install in Chicago. The familiarity helped Rypien on Thursday night and he put together a solid performance against the Texans.

Although Bagent started the game, he played just one series before being pulled from the game. Rypien immediately led the Bears on an eight-player, 80-yard touchdown drive and a 72-yard touchdown drive. He completed 11-of-15 pass attempts for 166 passing yards and three touchdowns.

If Bagent struggles to keep up, he could find himself out of the NFL.

2. Velus Jones Jr.

The Bears offense is not as barren as it once was. Chicago acquired running back D'Andre Swift to join Williams in the backfield, while veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen and first-round rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze will join D.J. Moore to round out an impressive wide receiver room.

The new talent could mean that wide receiver Velus Jones Jr.'s time in Chicago has come to an end. Jones appears to have been surpassed on the depth chart by wide receiver Tyler Scott, who has worked with the first-team offense more frequently than Jones during training camp.

Jones was expected to be the Bears kickoff returner to start the season, but he could be supplanted. He did not dress for Chicago's preseason debut, and the rise of wide receiver Collin Johnson could push him further down the depth chart.

Johnson, who spent last season in Chicago's practice squad, has been impressive throughout training camp. The 6-6 wideout continued to make his presence felt against the Texans. Johnson finished with three catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns. He reeled in a highlight-reel worthy 27-yard catch and scored his first touchdown on a 20-yard pass from Rypien. His second touchdown, a 9-yard grab in the third quarter, gave the Bears their first lead of the game.

The top three wide receiver spots are solidified by Moore, Allen, and Odunze. Scott, Jones, DeAndre Carter and Dante Pettis will fight for the two or three spots available behind them.

1. Larry Borom

Offensive tackle Larry Borom has excelled as a swing tackle for the Bears since he was drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has even filled in at guard when Chicago's offensive line was depleted. The 2023 season was not a good year for Borom, however. He lost his starting job after allowing three sacks in six starts.

Borom allowed 25 pressures on just 225 pass blocking snaps and was ranked 74th out of 81 qualified tackles in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Bears signed backup tackle Matt Pryor in free agency and drafted offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie in the 2024 NFL Draft. While Darnell Wright has a firm hold of the starting right tackle position, Amegadjie and Braxton Jones will likely compete for the opposing position.

That leaves Borom as the fourth-best option. If veteran tackles Jake Curhan and Aviante Collins manage to play well during the preseason, the 25-year-old could find himself as a cap casualty. Chicago would save $3.1 million by moving on from the struggling tackle.