Chicago Bears: 3 Players to watch in Preseason Week 2 vs. Giants

Kevin Pierre-Louis, Linebacker

Linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears this past offseason. Although he last played with the New York Jets, Bears head coach Matt Nagy knows him from his days with the Kansas City Chiefs prior to that. Pierre-Louis is fighting for a backup linebacker spot. In my opinion, I feel he and Nick Kwiatkoski are fighting for a spot. One of the two probably gets cut.

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The first official depth chart has Joel Iyiegbuniwe as Roquan Smith‘s backup. He’ll probably eventually move over to back up Danny Trevathan. Trevathan will likely be a salary cap victim next offseason and having Iyiegbuniwe and Smith together gives the Bears a good, young duo up the middle.

In the opening preseason game, Kwiatkoski had three tackles and a sack. Pierre-Louis had two tackles, one of them for a loss. They both got into the backfield, so that was good. The difference between the two ultimately lies in coverage. Pierre-Louis looks more fluid and faster in coverage. He did a good job when he was in coverage against the Panthers, while Kwiatkoski got burned on a play for 16 yards.

It’ll be interesting to see how Pierre-Louis looks this week. If he has a good game, he could have a firm grip on a spot. Kwiatkoski could find himself on the outside looking in. He could be cut or traded.