Jordan van den Berg has turned himself into one of the Bears’ most interesting preseason storylines, and Saturday could give him one more shot to keep that momentum rolling.
The rookie defensive tackle, a sixth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, has spent the last three weeks reshaping Chicago’s depth chart. His rise has been so noticeable that the Bears are now rumored to be shopping Gervon Dexter, the player van den Berg is pushing to replace.
That sets up an under-the-radar trench battle against the Titans, where van den Berg is likely to see another rookie making noise of his own: Tennessee guard Fernando Carmona.
Speaking with FanSided’s Titans expert Justin Melo over at Titan Sized, the matchup was described as one worth watching from the jump.
"The Titans have some questions across the interior. Titans rookie RG Fernando Carmona appears to be winning that position battle," Melo told me. "It could be a fun rookie-on-rookie matchup with van den Berg."
Carmona, like van den Berg, was taken on Day 3 this year. He went in the fifth round out of Arkansas, and he brings a profile that mirrors van den Berg’s in a lot of ways.
The Bears rookie posted a jaw-dropping 10.00 RAS before the draft, a number that’s tough for anyone to top. Carmona was no slouch himself, landing an 8.87.
Scouts have described Carmona as light on his feet, with the ability to accelerate into "crunching blows" at times. He’s big, physical, and the son of a high school coach.
For van den Berg, this preseason finale may be his best chance yet to show he belongs not just in the rotation, but in the starting conversation under Dennis Allen. It’s also another chance to show the Bears can move on from Dexter, a former second-round pick who will need a decision on his future in the coming months.
If Chicago does choose to trade Dexter and move forward with van den Berg, that would make this performance even more meaningful.
Carmona has his own stakes. He’s in position to start on an offensive line protecting Cam Ward, the young quarterback Tennessee hopes is its franchise passer. It doesn’t happen often that a Day 3 offensive lineman plays well enough to grab a starting job in his first year, though Braxton Jones is a recent example.
For fans who care about the details in the trenches, this is the kind of matchup that can easily fly under the radar and still end up being one of the best parts of the game. Both rookies have been talked up throughout camp and the preseason, and both should get chances to win a few snaps.
If they’re on the field together, football "sickos" should be all over it. Two athletic, physical Day 3 rookies, each trying to carve out more than a roster spot, make for the kind of duel that feels like they’re staring back at themselves in the mirror.
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