With the Bears sitting most of their starters Sunday in the preseason opener against the Dolphins, they’re down 14-10 at halftime.
Cairo Santos nailed a 57-yard field goal from the right hash with room to spare as time ran out at the end of the half.
The Bears’ backups had two bright spots in the first half:
– The defense delivered a goal-line stop against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and a smattering of their starters.
– Quarterback Tyson Bagent converted a fourth-and-goal from the 4-yard line with a touchdown pass to fourth-stringer Maurice Alexander with 4:43 left in the second quarter.
Tagovailoa played one series and completed 5 of 6 passes for 27 yards, while Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams did not dress.
The Bears’ most productive players in the first half were rookie running back Kyle Monangai (six carries for 30 yards) and wide receiver Devin Duvernay (three catches for 27 yards). Duverney is near-certain to make the team primarily as a return man.
Bagent finished the half 12 of 18 for 90 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 73.8 passer rating.
The only first-string players coach Ben Johnson played Sunday were rookie tight end Colston Loveland, left tackle Braxton Jones and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
It was not clear whether Stevenson was playing because he is in a position battle with Nahshon Wright and Terell Smith or as a consequence for fighting in the joint practice with the Dolphins on Friday.
Johnson warned players before practice Friday that anyone who fought would have to play. There were several skirmishes, but Stevenson was central to extending one of them and was pulled off the field for a couple plays because of it.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent will start for Caleb Williams and likely will play the first half. It’s a key opportunity for him and several other players.
As Johnson and Williams try to align their visions in their first season together, they can learn a lot from McDaniel’s work with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in Miami.
Johnson isn’t playing most of his starters Sunday, but the Bears’ first preseason game against the Dolphins is an important dry run for at least one person — Johnson himself.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
