More news and notes now that the Bears have wrapped up their preseason slate:

Against the wishes of most of the Bears fan base, QB Andy Dalton will still start the season opener against the Rams. Dalton was not particularly impressive in the preseason, his only TD coming on a 50/50 ball to WR Rodney Adams that wound up turning into a 73-yard score. The offense just didn't move the ball much while he was out there. Now, some of that was probably due to vanilla playcalling and the starting skill position players and O-linemen not playing much in the preseason, but defenses were playing vanilla too. Dalton didn't look awful, but he didn't exactly inspire confidence or excitement either.

Meanwhile, Mr. Excitement himself, QB Justin Fields, definitely had some "wow" moments during the preseason where he showed off his great speed and athleticism and his ability to throw on the run. This was all on display in his sparkling debut against the Dolphins and on his final preseason pass against the Titans, a 20-yard TD to TE Jesper Horsted where he escaped the pocket, rolled to his right and fired a dart into a crowd on the right edge of the end zone where only Horsted could catch it. If there was one thing Mitch Trubisky had trouble with, it was looking downfield for targets while he was on the run, but this is a strength of Fields' game. Do I think he can start right now and not look overmatched? Yes.

That said, it wasn't all positive for him in the preseason, like the moment where he got absolutely smashed in the face by a blitzing Bills linebacker that he failed to account for (that player should've been ejected, by the way). Moments like that are likely why Fields will sit and watch to start the season, but his talent is undeniable and will get him on the field sooner than later. If the Bears get pasted and look lifeless offensively against the Rams on opening night, I think the switch could even happen after that game. Unless Dalton unexpectedly lights it up to start the season, I think there's a good chance we'll see Fields by Week 4. Once he does become the starter, his running ability, deep ball accuracy and ability to make big plays off schedule could make him a nice fantasy weapon if his O-line can protect him and HC Matt Nagy can call plays tailored to his strengths. He's definitely a name to consider if you wind up with a "meh" starting quarterback in your draft or if you have room to stash him on your roster.

In the preseason, RB David Montgomery got a carry in the opener... and then he never got another snap. He looked good in training camp and said he worked with a speed coach in the offseason, but I wouldn't expect him to suddenly become a 4.4 guy. In past years, you knew he wouldn't be particularly dynamic, but you did know that he would get volume. This year, the biggest question about Montgomery is probably how many touches will backup RB Damien Williams take from him. I think we're likely to see Williams mainly as a third down receiving option out of the backfield, with Montgomery still likely to get the great majority of carries and some receptions himself. Questions about the O-line prevent me from predicting that David will have a huge breakout season, but he has seemed extremely motivated from the start of the offseason to show that he's capable of more than he's shown in his first two years, so I do expect improvement. RB Tarik Cohen is still rehabbing his torn ACL from last season, and we don't know when he'll be ready to play. Rookie RB Khalil Herbert looked pretty good in the preseason and appears to have locked up a roster spot as the kick returner and third tailback, but he isn't likely to see many snaps on offense.

WR Allen Robinson watched the preseason from the sidelines, but we all know that he is the bell cow of this receiving corps. He said during the preseason finale that he's been working on getting in/out of his breaks quicker and getting more yards after the catch, so we'll see if that manifests itself on the field this year. I expect another reliable WR1 season from him. Predicting a breakout season from a Bears receiver is generally a dangerous thing to do, but I do believe that WR Darnell Mooney will take a big step forward from Year 1 to Year 2. Once Fields' deep ball accuracy is combined with Mooney's deep speed, I think we'll start to really see what Darnell is capable of.

After Mooney, the picture gets a bit murkier. The main receiver who stood out the most in camp and preseason was Adams, but he is still not a lock to actually make the team. Even if he does, he might not see the field much. WR Marquise Goodwin looks most likely to be the third receiver, with WR Damiere Byrd next in line. They've both got great speed, but I'm not sure if either will make a consistent fantasy impact. Rookie WR Dazz Newsome flashed a bit in preseason after returning from his broken collarbone and is on the bubble. It could come down to Adams versus Newsome for a roster spot. WR Javon Wims was finally cut last week.

I also expect TE Cole Kmet to take a nice step forward in his second year, but the presence of veteran TE Jimmy Graham and TE Jesse James could cut into his production some. Many have questioned why Graham is still here, but he's been a nice mentor for Kmet, and he did have eight scores last season, which is nothing to sneeze at. James has been an unexpected surprise since signing last month, and he caught a TD from Fields against the Dolphins. Horsted caught three TDs in the preseason finale against the Titans. He's got natural receiving ability as a converted receiver, but it could come down to that versus TE J.P. Holtz's blocking ability for a roster spot.

Nagy announced on August 18th that rookie T Teven Jenkins will need to have back surgery and that the team hopes he can return later this season. What is it with this team and rookie tackles getting injured? Chris Williams, Marc Colombo... Nagy claimed that the team knew Jenkins had back issues in college but said that these were new symptoms. Whatever the case, it makes the cutting of T Charles Leno look even more foolish now than I thought it was at the time. Was Leno an All Pro? No, but you could reliably stick him on the left side and expect him to do a decent job.

Now, the Bears will have to rely on 39-year old T Jason Peters, signed just two weeks ago, to be the starter on the blind side. He got some snaps against the Titans and looked ok, but while he has a great resume, there are obvious questions about what kind of shape he's in and how much he has left in the tank. T Germain Ifedi also made his preseason debut against Tennessee and looked rusty. The O-line as a whole is healthier than it was in camp but just hasn't had much time together, and it showed against the Titans.

One step forward (new D-coordinator Sean Desai), one step back (the cornerback situation). That's how I look at this unit for the upcoming season. I think Desai will be an upgrade over Chuck Pagano as he brings some Vic Fangio principles back to this defense along with his own ideas. He's also put a big emphasis on takeaways after the Bears' struggles to get them the past two seasons, so I think we'll see an uptick in that stat.

However, corner is a real concern after the loss of Kyle Fuller. Is CB Jaylon Johnson ready to be a #1 corner in his second year? How will CB Kindle Vildor, another second-year man, hold up as the #2? Who will start in the slot? This is a unit that will have to rely a lot on getting pressure on the quarterback, because this secondary could get picked apart by quality offenses if opposing quarterbacks have enough time to throw. Tackling is another concern, as the Bears didn't do much of it in their blowout loss to the Bills. S Eddie Jackson took another bad angle on a run play, something he did at times last season. He needs to start playing like one of the highest paid safeties in the league because he is one. Kick coverage was a problem throughout the preseason as well, though it was better against the Titans. More takeaways and scores could help this become a top-ten unit, otherwise it might be more toward the middle of the pack.

PK Cairo Santos should be reliable in terms of accuracy after his fantastic 2020 season, but the question is how often will this offense get into scoring range? Once Fields takes over, Santos could have more opportunities. He should be startable most weeks, but not an elite option.

Up next is my Week #1 preview report!

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