Chicago Bears vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 4 storylines to watch in preseason finale

LAKE FOREST – The final dress rehearsal is here.

The Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs will square off Thursday night in the Bears’ fourth and final preseason game. The Bears are 3-0 in their first three preseason contests.

No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams and “most” of the Bears starters will not play Thursday, head coach Matt Eberflus announced Tuesday. Instead, backup Tyson Bagent will take center stage for the Bears.

Thursday’s game kicks off 7:20 p.m. from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. It will be broadcast on the NFL Network and locally on Fox 32. Here are four storylines to watch in the preseason finale.

1. Caleb Williams won’t play, but here’s who to watch

With Williams out, who should Bears fans be watching?

Eberflus said most starters won’t play in the game, but he was light on specifics [other than confirming that Williams will not play]. Some select starters could play if they haven’t seen much time in the preseason.

Bagent, of course, will start at quarterback. Quarterbacks Brett Rypien and Austin Reed should also see action.

“Any time you get the opportunity to get on the field and put film out to the league, it’s something you can’t take for granted,” Rypien said.

Any time you get the opportunity to get on the field and put film out to the league, it’s something you can’t take for granted.”

—  Brett Rypien, Bears quarterback

Running back Roschon Johnson missed last week’s game due to injury but was back at practice. He could be a player to watch Thursday. Receiver Collin Johnson was the star of the Hall of Fame game. He could use a big day Thursday to boost his chances of making the team.

Defensively, all eyes will once again be on preseason rookie sensation Austin Booker. The fifth-round draft pick has been one of the biggest surprises during the preseason. Fellow defensive end Daniel Hardy has played well, too.

2. Position battles to watch

The Bears can keep only 53 players on the active roster. They must cut their roster from 90 players to 53 by Aug. 27. This final preseason game means a lot for many of the backups and players deeper on the depth chart.

The defensive line is definitely a spot to watch, specifically defensive end. Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker are the starters, but what will the Bears do behind them? Jacob Martin (who has been hurt most of camp), Khalid Kareem, Austin Booker, Dominique Robinson and Daniel Hardy are all battling for roster spots. Booker and Hardy have impressed during the preseason.

At defensive back, cornerback Reddy Steward and safety Adrian Colbert are likely battling for roster spots at their positions.

On offense, this will be a big game for interior linemen Ja’Tyre Carter, Bill Murray and Doug Kramer – all of whom are on the bubble. It’s also unclear who the last wide receiver on the roster will be. DeAndre Carter? Collin Johnson? Dante Pettis?

Pettis scored two touchdowns against Cincinnati, but was injured during practice this week.

3. Can Booker, Hardy keep rolling?

Booker was considered a raw prospect coming in as a rookie. He’s long and lean (6-foot-6, 245 pounds) and probably will try to add some more muscle next offseason. For now, though, he’s playing well in his current frame. Booker has 2.5 sacks playing with the backups in the preseason.

Hardy came out of Montana State in 2022 and spent last season with the Bears’ practice squad. He also has been running with the second-team defense and has 3.5 sacks over the course of the preseason.

Booker is almost certain to make the 53-man roster because the Bears just drafted him and don’t want to risk putting him on waivers. Hardy, though, is another question. It’s a numbers game at a certain point.

“He’s been extremely active,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said of Hardy. “The energy has been high. He’s gotten quality wins in critical situations, and his effort has been phenomenal. Everything we start from an evaluation standpoint starts with hustle. And I don’t know anybody that has stood out as much as he has.”

That’s high praise from the defensive coordinator.

4. Can Austin Reed show promise?

With Williams playing the entire first half last weekend, undrafted rookie Austin Reed didn’t see any action against Cincinnati. This will be his last opportunity to show the Bears what he can do. It seems likely that Bagent – who is firmly the lead backup – won’t play a ton. That will give Rypien and Reed a chance to play.

Rypien is likely to be QB3 on the depth chart, whether he’s on the 53-man roster or the practice squad. The Bears won’t keep more than three QBs on the 53-man roster (and maybe only two), but Reed is definitely trying to make the argument that he belongs on the practice squad.

Reed was an early star on HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” but his opportunity in the Hall of Fame game was cut short by rain and then he didn’t play last week vs. Cincinnati. Reed played at Division II West Florida before transferring to Western Kentucky. He worked out with the same QB coach as Williams ahead of the draft.

General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears showed that they can find talented undrafted quarterbacks when they picked up Bagent off the undrafted pile. It never hurts to have a developmental young player on the practice squad.

Rypien, who is 28, is the quote-unquote “old guy” in the QB room, but he likes helping out his younger counterparts.

“It has been the best collective group I’ve been with, in terms of trying to help each other out every single day,” Rypien said. “For me and my standpoint, being the oldest guy in the room, I think I’ve somewhat felt the responsibility to spearhead that.”