Assessing the Chicago Bears rookie class after first preseason game

On Saturday, the Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-17 in the opening preseason game of 2023. While the win is ultimately meaningless, several takeaways are still to be had based on individual performances.

That’s what the preseason is all about, after all. Every player gets a chance to prove to his coaches that he deserves a roster spot.

This is doubly true for rookies.

The Bears had several rookies to evaluate at Soldier Field on Saturday against the Titans, some made a bigger impression than others.

Let’s dive into how the Chicago Bears rookies performed.

Darnell Wright

For a guy who was mostly up and down in training camp, Wright had an admirable performance against the Titans. Granted, he wasn’t playing against the starters, but these were still NFL defenders, and Wright did not have any glaringly bad plays. In fact, he was the key block that sprung Khalil Herbert’s best run in the first quarter. That’s all you can ask for in a preseason debut.

Gervon Dexter Sr.

The worst possible outcome of a preseason game almost happened for Dexter in the third quarter when he limped off the field after a nasty scrum. Thankfully, he was able to re-enter the game and appeared to be fine. Dexter broke into the backfield several times and made some nice tackles on the running back, but otherwise, he was mostly quiet. Not a great debut, but not terrible either.

Tyrique Stevenson

On the Titans’ first offensive play of the game, Stevenson got lost in the sauce and gave up a big passing play on busted coverage. It was a bad start, but he recovered beautifully for the remainder of the afternoon. He played sticky coverage and almost had an interception in the second quarter. All in all, a solid debut for the rookie.

Zacch Pickens

Welcome to the NFL, Zacch Pickens! Or should we say “Sacch” Pickens?

Pickens blew past the left guard in the second quarter and got a beautiful blindside sack on Will Levis, who never saw it coming. He was largely unremarkable the rest of the game, but that solo sack was a great way to start his career.

Roschon Johnson

Honesty, I was hoping for a little more from Johnson on Saturday. He tore off a beautiful 24-yard run on his first carry but gained just 20 yards on his final 11. It’s still just his first preseason game, and he has plenty of time to improve his craft, especially with Khalil Herbert looking good as the RB1.

Tyler Scott

Another rookie playmaker that disappointed was Scott. He had just one catch that he fumbled away to the Titans, and he didn’t impress on special tea,s. After several bad drops throughout training camp, it seems like Scott has a long way to go before being a consistent, impactful NFL player.

Noah Sewell

Sewell brings the juice and energy every time he’s on the field. His stats weren’t eye-popping, though he did register a sack, but he was all over the field making plays and being around the ball. His last week of training camp went very well, and he appears to be carrying that momentum into the preseason.

Travis Bell

Bell’s story is my absolute favorite out of Chicago’s rookie class. The first player out of Kennesaw State to ever be drafted into the NFL, he lands with a team renowned for defensive excellence, and in his first NFL action, he gets a sack. GM Ryan Poles has raved about him like I’ve never seen a GM do for a 7th-round draft pick, and when Bell hauled the quarterback down for his sack, the Bears’ sideline went crazy. He is clearly a favorite inside the locker room and at Halas Hall, and I’m rooting for him to make the roster.

Tyson Bagent

One other rookie who saw extended action is quarterback Tyson Bagnet. An intriguing prospect from a D2 school, he went 4-of-5 passing for 37 yards, including a beautiful back shoulder throw on a 4th and long to move the chains. With PJ Walker struggling on Saturday and Nathan Peterman being Nathan Peterman, Bagent made a good first impression on Bears fans. He’s a dark horse to make the roster as a QB3 and potentially be a developmental project for QB coach Andrew Janocko.