Happy Friday!

The Bears play football tomorrow. It’s happening

Yesterday I gave you three obvious players to watch in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Titans, but today we’ll look at three not-so-obvious players to watch.

DT Travis Bell — The seventh-round pick has had a mostly quiet training camp, but flashed a little more in recent days and seemed to get more meaningful reps. I’m excited to see what he can do in a game because his college film at Kennesaw State was fun to watch. His motor runs hot and I have a feeling we’ll see that in the second half Saturday. 

S A.J. Thomas — I mentioned Thomas in an earlier newsletter this week and I really feel like he’s got a shot to earn a roster spot with a strong preseason. With Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson unlikely to play a ton, Thomas should get a lot of run. 

QB Tyson Bagent — Nathan Peterman was missing from practice Thursday, which might not mean anything, but it could mean more reps for Bagent, who figures to play anyway. The undrafted rookie from Shepard seems destined for the practice squad if he sticks around, but I always support the idea of keeping a young quarterback around to develop and these are the live game reps that matter.

Up Next: There is no media availability Friday as the Bears wrap up preparations for their first preseason action, but we’ll preview the game against Titans LIVE at Noon CT on The CHGO Bears Podcast.