Bears roster risers in preseason finale vs. Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears’ didn’t play their starters in their fourth and final preseason game of the year. Many second stringers had a limited snap count, too. That combo makes for a difficult time finding true “roster risers.” Many of the guys who played against the Chiefs on Thursday won’t make the 53-man roster so it would feel disingenuous to list them here. Heck, a couple of the guys I did include might be fighting for practice squad spots at this point. But these three players have either played well enough to rise up the depth chart, or at least give head coach Matt Eberflus and GM Ryan Poles a lot to think about as roster cuts loom.
AUSTIN BOOKER – DEFENSIVE END
There was never any doubt that Booker would make the 53-man roster this year, but it was unclear how much he would contribute. Booker has impressed throughout the preseason and training camp, and has started earning some tick with the first-team defense in some specific pass rush packages.
On Thursday, Booker finished with just one tackle, but made a much bigger impact than the box score would indicate. He continued to pressure the quarterback in the pass game, and was rarely far from the ball in the run game. Booker’s one stop came after he shot through a gap to tackle a running back right at the line of scrimmage.
REDDY STEWARD – SLOT CORNER
When Kyler Gordon hurt himself earlier this summer, Steward was in the middle of a robust competition for slot corner snaps with Josh Blackwell and Greg Stroman. Recently it’s looked like Blackwell has pulled ahead on the depth chart, but Steward clearly isn’t done fighting for the backup job. He was the breakout performer against the Chiefs with two interceptions, including one pick-six. Steward made another big stop on a third-down play that won’t make highlight reels. He pierced the backfield on third-and-one and combined with Amen Ogbongbemiga to prevent a first…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-roster-risers-preseason-finale-035036905.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-08-23 03:50:36
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