Chicago Bears: 3 Takeaways from first preseason game vs. Panthers
The backup linebacker battle
The Chicago Bears have one of the best linebacker corps in the NFL. They have Leonard Floyd and All-world Khalil Mack on the outside and Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan on the inside. In his short time in the game, Smith recorded two tackles and a sack.
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The battle is for the backup spot. Nick Kwiatkoski is the main backup but he has to battle to keep his spot. The Bears brought in Kevin Pierre-Louis to try to improve the situation. Kwiatkoski got burned in coverage but finished with three tackles and a sack. Pierre-Louis had two tackles, one of them for a loss.
The interesting thing in this battle is that Josh Woods came in and was flying around the ball. He finished second on the team in tackles with five (cornerback Clifton Duck finished with six), a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble. I’m sure that opened some eyes. Woods was a practice player as a rookie with the Bears last season.
I don’t know if Woods can continue his success throughout the preseason. If he can, it’ll make the battle even more interesting. Joel Iyiegbuniwe probably has one of the backup spots. He’s the future for the Bears so they’ll give him a shot to prove that he is.
That means Kwiatkoski, Pierre-Louis, and Woods may battle for one or possibly two spots. If that’s the case, I see Kwiatkoski on the outside looking in. Pierre-Louis is more athletic and if Woods shows promise, he has better upside.
This could be a position battle to look out for as the preseason continues.