Chicago

Bears

Allen is listed at 211 pounds, but appeared far heavier (and slower) in the Bears’ preseason opener against the Bills on Saturday. Allen ran every route with the Chicago first-team offense but was not targeted while DJ Moore saw three targets and Rome Odunze had two looks. Five of Allen’s 10 routes came from the slot. He should profile as a reliable underneath option for Caleb Williams this season.

Williams was composed in the pocket and showcased his ability to extend plays, leading two drives with the starters, each of which ended in field goals. The highlight of his day came when he escaped the pocket to the right and threw a dart on the run to tight end Cole Kmet, reminiscent of something we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Patrick Mahomes. The escapability was a definite positive considering the Bears’ offensive line is expected to be a bottom-tier unit this season. Williams targeted DJ Moore three times, Cole Kmet twice, D’Andre Swift once, and Rome Odunze once, notably failing to target veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen on any of his seven pass attempts. It’s too early to raise any alarm bells considering we’ve seen all of two offensive drives from the Bears’ starters.

Herbert and the rest of the starters played two drives for the Bears in the first quarter, with Herbert handling the early-down work while D’Andre Swift handled change of pace and clear passing down duties. Herbert’s nine touches dwarfed the one carry and one target for Swift, although Swift’s lone catch went for a 42-yard gain on a screen pass to set up a field goal. The situation appears to be fluid, but the split in work is not a good sign for Swift considering he is currently being drafted inside the top 24 running backs in fantasy drafts.

We don’t know the specifics of Davis’s injury at this time, but head coach Matt Eberflus said Davis suffered a setback in his recovery and will now miss multiple weeks. Whether or not this absence could stretch into the regular season is to be determined, but his absence would create a massive hole along the right side of the Bears’ line. Davis played in 11 games for the team last season after being limited by an ankle injury suffered in Week 7. In addition to Davis, Eberflus also said the team is feeling good about cornerback Kyler Gordon’s (tightness) recovery but didn’t give a specific timetable for his return.

Eberflus told reporters, Bears starters will have a designated “range” of plays designed for them but declined to give a specific, expected snap count. Rookie QB Caleb Williams gets his first test against a Bills team that will reportedly play its starters for nearly a full quarter.

In a post to his Instagram, Foles, a former third-round pick of the Eagles in 2012, has opted to call it quits. The veteran quarterback didn’t play an NFL snap in 2023, but he is most remembered for his run as the Eagles’ starter during the 2017 season when he stepped in for an injured Carson Wentz and led the team to an unprecedented Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl LII. During that three-game playoff stretch, Foles threw for 971-6-1 while completing 72.6 percent of his passes. He was on the receiving end of the famous “Philly Special,” which helped give the Eagles a 22-12 lead over the Patriots before halftime. A journeyman quarterback who spent time with six different franchises over his career, Foles is also one of nine quarterbacks to throw for seven touchdowns in a game, which he did during a Week 9 contest against the Raiders. Foles retires with a career 29-29 record while throwing for 14,227 yards and 82 touchdowns.

“He’s got a lot of talent,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said of Jones, entering his third NFL season at 27 years old. “He’s open to moving around, again, like we talked about, I think it was maybe last time we visited about, you know, if you’re on the fringe of the roster or a guy that is competing for that fifth, sixth spot at receiver, halfback, whatever it might be, the more you can do.” In 26 NFL games since the start of the 2022 season, Jones has 17 catches for 154 yards and a touchdown and 11 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown. He remains a long shot to make the final Bears roster.

Roschon Johnson played 15. It, of course, is bad news either player was even dressed for tonight’s meaningless exhibition tilt, though the Bears have several injuries in their backfield, leaving them with limited options. Someone had to play in Canton. It is nevertheless confirmation both holdover backs are seemingly miles behind free agent addition D’Andre Swift on the depth chart, and could be left fighting for rotational reps come Week 1.

At his peak, Cohen was a speedy and shifty back who wowed everyone with his ability to shake any defender out of his shoes. Known as “The Human Joystick,” Cohen totaled 2676 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns in his first four years as a pro, but a myriad of devastating injuries have followed him in recent seasons. Cohen suffered a torn ACL and MCL, along with a tibia fracture during the 2020 season, and missed all of 2021 as a result. In 2022, he suffered a torn Achilles while training in hopes of a return. He caught on with the Panthers practice squad last season but didn’t play a down of regular season football. After a week in Jets minicamp, the former fourth-round pick has opted to call it quits just days after his 29th birthday.

Moore and the Bears agreed to a deal that locks him in for four more years, with $82.6 million guaranteed out of $110 million. He had two years left on his deal, but the Bears decided to give him the largest deal in franchise history and keep him around until 2029. The 27-year-old spent the first five years of his career with the Panthers, but had his best season last year. It was his first with the Bears and Moore was the definitive No. 1 wideout, totaling 96 receptions for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. With rookie first-overall pick Caleb Williams coming in, Moore now has the most invested in him among the pass-catchers, with rookie Rome Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen also supporting the group. He had his best fantasy season in 2023 and the extension indicates the Bears believe Moore to be their top option for the foreseeable future. The wide receiver market continues to climb, as Moore joins Justin Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and several other elite receivers in signing massive deals while CeeDee Lamb and Brandon Aiyuk await theirs. For now, the Bears continue to show no shyness about investing into the offense.