Five reasons to watch Bears-Bengals Thursday night

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Last week’s Hall of Fame Game was viewed more as a bonus than a significant part of the Bears’ preseason, to the point that Brian Urlacher apologized to the team for making them play an extra game in August.

 

So tonight’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium is, effectively, the first game of the preseason for the vast majority of Bears who will play a significant role in the 2018 regular season. With that in mind, looking at a few things to watch for tonight:

 

1. Mitch Trubisky’s debut

 

The Bears want to see Trubisky command the huddle in his first live game action running Matt Nagy’s offense. His time behind center won’t be lengthy — maybe one or two series — but Thursday night still represents an important marker in Trubisky’s development.

 

Of course, positive plays are important, but keep an eye on these things, too: Are players getting lined up correctly? Is Trubisky on the same page as the guys he’s throwing to? Does the overall operation of this offense look smooth?

 

The answers to those questions won’t necessarily reveal much about Trubisky’s regular season outlook, but they will show where the second-year quarterback stands as he understands and absorbs Nagy’s offense.

 

2. Can Javon Wims build off the Hall of Fame Game?

 

The 6-foot-4, 215 pound Wims had an impressive showing against the Baltimore Ravens last week, using his big frame and good hands to catch seven of 10 targets for 89 yards. Interestingly, though, wide receivers coach Mike Furrey mentioned Wims hadn’t exactly been building to that production in Bourbonnais — “I thought he struggled for a couple weeks prior to going up into the game versus Baltimore,” Furrey said.

 

Wims, too, had that production in Canton against a bunch of third- and fourth-string Ravens who will struggle to make any team’s 53-man roster. Perhaps Wims earned himself an opportunity to be tested against more accomplished competition; if not, though, he’ll still need to produce to keep passing the tests necessary to keep him under consideration for a roster spot in September.

 

“If somebody comes out and has a poor game it doesn't mean they're getting cut,” Nagy said. “If they come out and have a great game it doesn't mean they made the team.”

 

3. More from the pass rush

 

A bit of a bummer for the Bears will be not having linebacker Isaiah Irving, who didn’t travel to Cincinnati after suffering an ankle injury during Sunday’s practice. The second-year undrafted free agent had an impressive showing in the Hall of Fame Game, notching one sack, one hurry and one tackle for a loss.

 

Without Irving, there should be an opportunity for someone lower down on the depth chart to put some good things on tape. Perhaps that’s undrafted rookie Elijah Norris, who also notched a sack, TFL and hurry in the Hall of Fame Game. Sixth-round pick Kylie Fitts will get another extended opportunity to not only earn a roster spot, but a more prominent role on the Bears’ defense, too.

 

At the top of the depth chart, we’ll see what kind of run Leonard Floyd gets in what could be the first game of a hugely important season for the 2016 first-round pick. It’s rare to find a first-round pick who takes four years to prove his value (Kyle Fuller being the exception), so Year 3 for Floyd could be critical for his career – and the Bears’ defense.

 

4. Making it harder for Roquan Smith

 

Nick Kwiatkoski has had a strong training camp to date, acing just about every daily “quiz” given to him in practice. Thursday will be his first test, even if it’s only for a few snaps, but continued strong play will only steepen the climb Roquan Smith will have once the stalemate between him at the Bears comes to an end.

 

Coaches trust Kwiatkoski, who’s entering his third year in Vic Fangio’s defense, and what he’s put on tape in the past has been solid enough. That being said: The Bears didn’t draft Smith to sit behind Kwiatkoski. If Smith doesn’t overtake Kwiatkoski on the depth chart, then something has gone more wrong than a lengthy holdout.

 

But continued quality play from Kwiatkoski is nonetheless important, whether it’s so the Bears can give Smith a little longer to download Fangio’s defense or if it’s because he’ll need to fill in for Danny Trevathan — who hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013 — at some point.

 

5. Let’s have some fun

 

Tonight will be the first chance, for everyone who hasn’t made it to Bourbonnais, to see Anthony Miller play in a Bears’ uniform. The second-round pick has been electric on the practice fields of Olivet Nazarene University, and that he didn’t play in last week’s Hall of Fame Game was a signal that his development is coming along nicely in the eyes of his coaches.

 

We’ll also get our first look at Tarik Cohen in 2018 — maybe with an end zone backflip if he scores a touchdown?

 

The Bears we watched a week ago in Canton weren’t the Bears we’ll see in Week 1 of the regular season, from personnel to scheme. We’ll get a brief look at the personnel and scheme tonight, and if it’s anything like what we’ve seen in Bourbonnais, it’ll be fun to watch — even if, yes, this is *only* the preseason.

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