The Bears’ second preseason game is another clean look at a defense that still has jobs up for grabs, and a few names already helped themselves in the opener. On a roster where depth-chart battles are still very much alive, preseason Week 2 gives Chicago another chance to sort out who’s really pushing for a spot.
Kentavius Street is near the top of that list. He came in as a bargain free-agent addition and looked like a player who would have to scrap just to stay on the roster.
Instead, the first preseason game told a different story. With Grady Jarrett out, Street got the starter treatment next to Gervon Dexter.
The Bears opened with him and pulled him with the rest of the starters, and for now he sits clearly ahead of Neville Gallimore, who signed for more than him in free agency, and Jordan van den Berg, who was drafted this year. The question now is whether that holds and whether it points to a Week 1 role.
James Lynch also made his case in the opener, and not just by being on the field. He logged 46 snaps, which is plenty for a player on the fringe, but the bigger detail was how the Bears used him.
Lynch lined up for 29 snaps as an end and 17 as an interior rusher. That kind of versatility is exactly what keeps a player in the conversation, and it puts him in the Shemar Turner role he was expected to fill.
Week 2 will say a lot about whether that workload sticks.
Malik Muhammad is in a similar spot, only his value comes from flexibility in the secondary. The rookie fourth-round pick played 33 snaps in the preseason opener, splitting them between 21 in the slot and 12 on the outside.
He looked comfortable in both spots, which matters with Tyrique Stevenson injured and questions still hanging over the slot. Those openings are real, and Muhammad has a chance to force his way into them.
Ruben Hyppolite might have made the biggest leap of all. The Bears’ 2025 fourth-round pick entered the offseason looking like a cut candidate after his first NFL season, but injuries to Keyshaun Elliott and Noah Sewell have opened a path.
Hyppolite responded with 46 snaps in the preseason opener and played the best NFL game of his career. One more performance like that, and he’s no longer fighting for a spot - he’s a lock.
Skyler Thomas is another defensive name to watch as the Bears continue sorting out their preseason depth chart.
In Other News...
Tyrique Stevenson Is Back In A Bears Battle That Suddenly Matters
Tyrique Stevenson is back in the middle of a Bears cornerback picture that looked unsettled not long ago. Two seasons of uneven moments, including the Hail Mary touchdown he allowed in 2024 and a late-season benching last year, could have pushed him to the margins, but Chicago is still treating him like a player with a real path to the outside spot opposite Jaylon Johnson as camp unfolds.
Dennis Allen has pointed to Stevensons improvement even as a training camp injury has slowed the next step in his push, and the Bears need to see him back on the field before the competition really sharpens. Malik Muhammads move to the slot has opened the door for Stevenson to stay in the CB2 mix, while Josh Blackwell has been handling the spot in his absence, leaving one of the teams quieter camp battles suddenly carrying some real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Roster Battles Are Getting Real For A Few Undrafted Rookies
With two preseason games left, the Bears are reaching the part of camp where every rep starts to matter a little more for the undrafted rookies trying to hang around. Caden Barnett, Jayden Loving and Skyler Thomas all drew attention in the preseason opener, and each has at least put himself into the conversation as Chicago sorts through the back end of the roster and the practice squad picture.
Barnett, Loving and Thomas are in different spots on the depth chart, and that makes their paths to Soldier Field very different. For all three, the next two exhibitions will be less about flash and more about whether they can keep building on what they showed early, because the Bears still have decisions to make and the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]
4 Bears Suddenly Carry Huge Weight In This 2026 Season
Rome Odunze enters this season in a better place physically, and that alone changes the look of Chicagos passing game. The Bears are counting on him to take a bigger step after a preseason in which he appeared healthier and more settled, while DAndre Swift is positioned for a heavier workload with a teammate sidelined by injury. Garrett Bradbury also looms as an important piece up front after settling into a leadership role that has helped secure his place in the middle of the offensive line.
Jaylon Johnson is the other name worth watching, because a Bears secondary that has leaned on him in the past needs him closer to his best after an injury-plagued season. If he can get back to form, it gives Chicago a more stable foundation on defense, and it makes the whole group look a lot more complete. For a team still sorting out its identity, those four players may end up carrying more than their share of the load. [Read more 🡒]