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Bears roster risers in Hall of Fame game win over Texans originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The NFL’s new kickoff rules were the star of Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game– especially since the Bears and Texans kept their starters on the sidelines. But a few of the Bears’ second and third stringers put on a good show, and made a good case for a closer look at practice when the team returns to Halas Hall.
The Bears gave Tyson Bagent one drive to start Thursday’s game, then it was the Rypien show for the rest of the first half and a bit of the third quarter. In all, Rypien led four drives and looked like the best player on the field throughout. He was decisive, accurate and showed good feel for whatever pressure came his way en route to completing 11-15 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Rypien also showed off his wheels on one nine-yard rush. There’s no backup QB controversy in Chicago right now, but Rypien certainly availed himself of the opportunity.
With DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze all sitting, the field was open for a wide receiver further down the depth chart to make an impact. Johnson was that man. The Texans’ had a few coverage breakdowns which led to easy completions, but Johnson also made one impressive full-extension grab for 27 yards to fuel a successful two-minute drill. Johnson also contributed a solid special teams tackle on the teams first opportunity to cover the new kickoff play.
Over his first two seasons, Hicks played more than one would expect from a seventh-round draft pick. He took the field on defense in 19 of 34 games with eight starts, but at times he struggled with busted coverages or bad angles. On Thursday, he was the bright spot of the team’s “starting” defense. Hicks played in just the early stages of the game, but still finished with four tackles.
Herbert appeared destined to be the odd man out in the future of the Bears running back room after the team drafted Roschon Johnson in 2023 and…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-roster-risers-hall-fame-041522757.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-08-02 04:15:22
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