Reaction: Bears Preseason Victory over the Arizona Cardinals

Week 2 of the preseason provided some clarity for the 2017 Chicago Bears, but also left many questions unanswered.

First things first, I’ve seen enough of Tarik Cohen. Like most people outside of the state of NC, I hadn’t seen much of Cohen in college. So, when the Bears drafted the NC A&T product, I trusted Pace and was cautiously optimistic with him as a potential 3^rd down back. After 2 preseason games, I’ve seen enough to say that Cohen is much more than I had ever hoped. He more than held his own with the #1 offense, picking up 7 yards a pop on early downs vs. loaded fronts. He also showed awareness and willingness as a pass blocker, though the O-line held up well enough that he didn’t have to do too much to help them. In 2 games (and what I hear was a fantastic camp), Cohen has gone from hopeful 3^rd down change of pace back to a legit backup in what could be one of the league’s most productive backfields.

I’d be remiss if I pointed out Cohen’s performance and didn’t give credit to the guys in front of him. Though Hroniss Grasu couldn’t get to the 2^nd level at times, the 1^st team OL worked the zone blocking scheme to perfection, highlighted by some dominating by Josh Sitton and Charles Leno at the point of attack. Cody Whitehair continued his strong play from C, moving over a spot to LG. And Bobby Massie also more than held his own. Throw in the work that Dion Sims did blocking in the run game, and there’s no reason Jordan Howard shouldn’t be in the race for a rushing title again in 2017. The #1 OL also kept Mike Glennon’s pocket clean for the most part with neither guard allowing a pressure and Leno consistently keeping Chandler Jones away from the QB.

Speaking of keeping guys away from QBs, the Cardinals had their hands full with the Bears front, led by Leonard Floyd. Floyd was a factor in every snap he played, despite only registering 1 tackle. Floyd had 3 QB pressures, forced 1 holding call on 3^rd down, was clearly held on another rush, and set a strong edge against the run. Jonathan Bullard also put together a 2^nd straight strong performance and looks like he has turned the corner to fulfilling the promise of the player many people called “the steal of the 2016 draft”. I was skeptical about him putting on 10-15 lbs of weight this offseason, but the extra lbs look like good weight and he has clearly not lost a step in quickness. Appears to be only a matter of time until Bullard’s starting at DE opposite Akiem Hicks. The 3^rd member of the potential starting DL, Eddie Goldman showed he’s a true difference maker. Goldman gave the Cards 0 running room in the middle of the field and was a handful for the interior OL in the pass rush. In 2016, the Bears were a full yard better vs. the run with Goldman on the field. With Hicks taking a step forward last year and Bullard poised to match that this year, the Bears may be a full season of Goldman away from a dominant front 7. And with the way Roy Robertson-Harris played (2 sacks, several pressures, 3 run stops), Mitch Unrein and Jaye Howard may be battling for 1 spot.

Another rookie who looks like the real deal is Eddie Jackson. Jackson is a player I identified in November last year as a potential sleeper for whatever team drafted him. After breaking his leg midseason, Jackson fell thru the cracks in a very strong safety class. But the former Alabama DB has shown the instincts and ability that would have made him a top 60 pick if not for the injury. Jackson is miles ahead of Adrian Amos as a coverage safety right now. On the Cardinals TD drive vs. the Bears #1 defense, Jackson put together a sequence where he nearly pulled off a 1-handed INT in the end zone, blew up the potential throw to the flat by showing read and recognition skills on the Gresham TD, and I honestly think that was a legitimate strip of Chris Johnson on the stop at the goaline. While he does get a little overzealous with his run angles at times, Jackson brings an aggressiveness to go along with the instincts and range to put an end to the trend of the Bears drafting 16 safeties in the last 17 drafts.

As great as it is to gain clarity at RB, FS, and DL; the Bears still have a huge question mark at the most important position in all of sports: QB. Mike Glennon finished with a somewhat respectable line of 13-18, 89 yards with a TD, but clearly did not play well enough to win games in the NFL. Obviously, the red zone INT stands out as being particularly unacceptable. But most disturbing is the fact that Glennon played most of his 1^st half with no pressure and a very successful running game. Only 2 of Glennon’s 18 passes went more than 10 yards pass the line of scrimmage. One of those was a terrible throw into triple coverage that should have been intercepted. The other was an 18-yarder to Cam Meredith vs. the Cardinals #2 defense. Thru 2 games, Mike Glennon has shown me very little to believe that he will improve upon a 56% career completion percentage or a dismal career 6.5 yards per attempt. Glennon has shown he is slow footed, slow to go through his progressions, and has a slow release; a deadly combination for any QB that plans to have success doing anything more than checking the ball down.

The WR has also done nothing to answer any questions the Bears probably had going into camp. Part of this is on Glennon’s issues noted above, some may be vanilla playcalling of the preseason, but some is just guys not being able to separate. White has the speed, but needs to refine his route running. Wright has good quickness, but needs another step of speed. Cruz has lost several steps. Gentry isn’t quick enough out of breaks. The Bears are going to have to be creative to get the WRs the ball in space. Pick routes and/or moving the pocket will be necessary or else the Bears are going to have to really take advantage of mismatches with the TEs and RBs in order to move the ball consistently, as long as Glennon is under center.

While Jackson seems to be establishing himself as the #1 FS, the rest of the defensive backfield looks unclear. Amukamara missed the game (with health being my biggest concern with him), but Marcus Cooper showed nothing and Kyle Fuller looked like Kyle Fuller. Fuller did some good things last night, highlighted by a great open field tackle on a screen. He also typically played well in zone coverage and had a key block on the Thompson return. But he still looks like a guy that is overmatched in man coverage. I had high hopes for Marcus Cooper, but he doesn’t appear to be very physical with smaller receivers and seems a little too content to make a play after the catch is made. Cre’Von Leblanc had a strong game in the slot, but when put on the outside with the 2^nd team he wasn’t nearly the same player. Deandre Houston-Carson played well with the 3^rd team at FS, but none of Hall, Webb, Bush, Banks or McManis staked their claim for a backup position. Demps, Amukamara and Jackson appear to be solid starters, the nickel appears to be decent between Leblanc and Callahan if healthy, but the 4^th DB starter and the depth is still questionable at best.

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