The Chicago Bears will wrap up the preseason with a matchup against the Tennessee Titans following their joint practice on Thursday.
Chicago’s offense had a lot of success against Tenneseee’s secondary while the defense struggled as safety Xavier Woods’ hit on Titans receiver Wan’Dale Robinson did not help matters.
Going into the preseason game, the Bears are not expected to play their starters while Tennessee’s head coach Robert Saleh said he expects to play his starters through the first half. Even if Chicago does not have their starters out on the field, there will be a number of things to keep an eye on, mostly roster battles with roster cuts looming shortly after the game.
Left Tackle
All throughout training camp and the preseason, the Bears have had
a battle for the starting left tackle position until Ozzy Trapilo is healthy. There is no clear answer to who will be Chicago’s starter although Braxton Jones seems like the frontrunner with Theo Benedet right behind him. Jones' performance in the joint practice against Tennessee, however, put that into question and further confused who should be the starter. Nonetheless, this game should serve as a key evaluation point to determine who the left tackle will be before the regular season starts in about two weeks against the Carolina Panthers.
Running Back Competition
Roschon Johnson and has gotten some unexpected competition for the third running back from Salvon Ahmed, who has not played in a regular season game since 2023. Ahmed has impressed so far in the preseason while Johnson has not done anything in particular to make him stand out. Whoever does not win the starting third running back job could get cut, so this will be an important position battle to watch in the preseason finale. Watch out for both players on special teams as well as their contributions to the special teams unit could be the difference between making the roster or getting cut.
Wide Receiver Battle
The Bears do not have many wide receiver spots up for grabs; in fact, they probably just have one with the talent they have at that position. JP Richardson did not help himself in Chicago’s last preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals while Kaden Davis has made a strong case to make the initial 53-man roster. Maurice Alexander is also in the running for that final receiver spot. Saturday night's finale will provide one last push for these roster bubble players.
LB Jack Sanborn
Linebacker Jack Sanborn spent his first three years in the NFL on the Bears until the team moved on from him in 2025. After a year with the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears brought him back to fight for a roster spot this year. Sanborn was listed as a third-string linebacker and No. 5 overall linebacker on Chicago’s unofficial depth chart. Sanborn could make the initial 53-man roster, but he has certainly not secured his spot on the roster. His performance in this game will be paramount in determining if he stays with Chicago or not.
Edge Rushers Jamree Kromah and Daniel Hardy
You can never have enough edge rushers, but only so many of them can make the final roster. Among the edge rushers, Jamree Kromah and Daniel Hardy are most at risk of getting cut, especially after Chicago signed veteran Marcus Davenport. However, if either or both of them have a really impressive performance in the preseason finale against Tennessee, they could earn themselves a roster spot, especially with Hardy's special teams contributions.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 things to watch in Bears’ preseason finale vs. Titans
