Chicago Bears Preseason: Week 3 Stock Report
It is hard to believe, but two preseason games have come and gone and only two more remain for the Chicago Bears before the start of the regular season.
The Bears are 2-0 this preseason after defeating the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, and they will look to improve their preseason record to 3-0 when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals Saturday night.
During Chicago's two preseason victories, a handful of players stood out because of their performance, but a few players struggled when on the field.
“Every time they go out there, I tell the team that they’re going to pick the roster," said head coach John Fox, per CSNChicago.com's John Mullin.
Whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling in Week 3 of the preseason for the Chicago Bears?
Rising: RB Jeremy Langford
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The Bears drafted running back Jeremy Langford in the fourth round of this year's draft after he rushed for 2,944 yards and 40 touchdowns in two years as a starter at Michigan State.
After Langford was drafted, general manager Ryan Pace praised the young running back.
“Very productive, athletic," Pace said, via CBSChicago.com. "The standout trait with him is really his speed. This guy has home run ability. He’s got upside, has played multiple positions so he’s still getting better as a running back. But this guy stands out and we’re excited to have him here.”
In the preseason opener against Miami, Langford carried the ball four times for just one yard and hauled in two passes for 16 yards. He saw his role expand in the second preseason game against the Colts, and he carried the football nine times for 80 yards and scored one touchdown.
“Outstanding,” Fox said when asked about Langford's preseason, per Mullin. “I think we saw early in camp that (the NFL game) wasn’t too fast for him. He’s very humble, sharp guy, willing to learn, and he has talent."
Langford's performance against the Colts caught the attention of starting running back Matt Forte.
“He had a nice run, he was real patient, set the safety up real well where he didn’t make his move too early, was able to break that tackle and have a long run,” Forte said, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. “He’s coming along nicely. … He’s got the agility to make guys miss.”
Forte will carry the brunt of the load this season at running back, but Langford's strong performance against the Colts proved he can be a reliable backup.
The young running back has the speed to get to the edge and make would-be tacklers miss in the open field, but he is also tough enough to run between the tackles. He has good hands out of the backfield, but he will need to improve in pass protection.
Langford may be a rookie, but he has a chance to become an integral part of Chicago's offense as the team's No. 2 running back this season.
Falling: TE Zach Miller
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Tight end Zach Miller was the talk of the preseason last summer, but he suffered a Lisfranc injury in the team's second preseason game and was lost for the entire regular season.
The Bears re-signed the injury-prone tight end to a one-year deal this offseason with the hope that he could earn the backup job behind Pro Bowler Martellus Bennett.
“I’ve had some unfortunate things happen. But I’ve always been able to get back," Miller said about his injury history, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Potash. "That’s how I know how the [recovery] process goes. I guess it’s just the way I am.”
Miller has not played in a regular-season game since 2011, and he has done little in the preseason to earn a spot on Chicago's 53-man roster.
According to Pro Football Focus, Miller has played 43 total snaps in the preseason, but he has yet to record a catch. Even though he is a better pass-catcher, the Bears have been using him at fullback/tight end in the preseason. He missed a couple of blocks in the running game against the Colts, but Miller thinks he is improving as a lead blocker.
“I feel so much more comfortable in the run game,” Miller said, per Potash, “probably the best I’ve ever been in my career as far as knowing where to be, how to fit, footwork and hand placement. [Tight ends coach] Frank’s [Smith] been a huge help."
The veteran tight end has not had any major gaffes in the preseason, but he has not made any plays that have stood out.
Miller still has a chance to make the team because of his ability to catch the football, but unless he can improve in the running game as a blocker, he will have a hard time making Chicago's 53-man roster.
Rising: CB Terrance Mitchell
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After wrestling the football away from Colts receiver Donte Moncrief for an interception in the second quarter last Saturday night, cornerback Terrance Mitchell has seen his stock rise in the last few days.
A seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2014, Mitchell was released by the Cowboys last August before he signed with the Bears. He spent the first few weeks of the regular season on Chicago's practice squad before he was elevated to the 53-man roster in October.
NFL.com's Nolan Nawrocki projected Mitchell to be drafted between the third and fourth round of the 2014 draft, and he liked the young cornerback's playmaking ability.
"Wiry, smoother-than-sudden, off-man/cover-3 corner who upped his visibility as a junior by showing improved playmaking ability, which prompted a premature leap to the NFL," wrote Nawrocki. "Could compete for a job as a No. 4, but lack of ideal explosiveness, top-end speed and bump-and-run ability limits his ceiling."
He left Oregon after just three seasons, and his rawness likely led to him being cut by the Cowboys last summer. He did not appear in a game last season, and he appeared to be a long shot to make Chicago's roster in 2015 before training camp began.
According to Pro Football Focus, he played 12 snaps in the preseason opener before playing 29 snaps against the Colts. He has been thrown at three times in two games and has not allowed a catch, and his interception against Indianapolis caught Fox's attention.
"It was a big-time play," Fox said, per Fishbain. "That was a good catch whether you play wideout or [defensive back]. He squeezed it pretty good and went up and made a good catch."
Mitchell has played with solid technique in the team's two preseason games, and he could push for some playing time in the regular season if he finishes the preseason strong. It is unlikely that he will be able to unseat second-year man Kyle Fuller or veteran Tim Jennings as a starter this offseason, but his strong play could earn him a spot in various sub-packages in 2015.
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Falling: SS Ryan Mundy
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Ryan Mundy led the Bears in tackles last year with 103 and recorded a career-high four interceptions, but the veteran safety has been unable to make his mark on defense during the preseason.
Veteran Antrel Rolle got the start at strong safety and second-year man Brock Vereen got the start at free safety in the preseason opener. According to Pro Football Focus, Mundy played 27 snaps with the second-team defense and recorded two tackles.
When the Bears took on the Colts in the second preseason game, Mundy did not dress due to a hip injury, per the Chicago Tribune's Dan Wiederer.
Mundy proved last season he has the ability to play up in the box against the run and can make big plays in pass coverage, but he is not a good fit in the Bears' new 3-4 defense because of how they want to use their safeties this season.
"As Mundy explained it last week, the Bears' safeties last season were asked to drop to a spot on the field and then break on the quarterback," wrote Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "This year, [defensive coordinator Vic] Fangio and new defensive backs coach Ed Donatell have the safeties matching route concepts."
Since Fangio wants his safeties to be able to match route concepts, the veteran coordinator has been leaning toward using more athletic safeties.
Vereen and rookie Adrian Amos are good fits in Fangio's system because they are athletic defensive backs who have experience playing both cornerback and safety. Vereen struggled against the pass in his start at free safety in the preseason opener, but Amos looked comfortable in pass coverage in the second preseason game.
The Bears signed Rolle this offseason because he has the flexibility to play both strong safety and free safety. Rolle has played free safety for the majority of his career, but his move to strong safety could force Mundy into a reserve role.
Mundy still has value as a special teams contributor or as a spot starter, but his lack of athleticism makes him a bad fit in Fangio's system. If he is healthy and gets an opportunity to play against the Bengals, he could push for a starting role if Amos and Vereen struggle, but it looks like he will end up being counted on to contribute on special teams this season.
Rising: OLB Pernell McPhee
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After a disappointing start to his Bears career against the Dolphins in the first preseason game, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee looked like the guy the Bears thought they signed when they inked him to a five-year, $38.75 million contract earlier this offseason.
According to Pro Football Focus, McPhee played 17 snaps against the Dolphins and finished the game with a minus-2.7 overall grade. He struggled against the run, failed to put pressure on quarterback Ryan Tannehill and he did not record a tackle.
McPhee bounced back against the Colts in the second preseason game. Per Pro Football Focus, McPhee played 19 snaps on defense and finished the game with a plus-2.7 overall grade. He recorded one sack, two quarterback hurries and was credited with four tackles.
The former Baltimore Raven had his way with Colts right tackle Jack Mewhort in the first quarter before Indianapolis started giving Mewhort help on the outside.
“I had the mindset that I wanted to be physical and attack,” McPhee said after the game, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson. “I did that all week in practice and it just translated to the game. We all had that mind and that swag that last week wasn’t good enough.”
In four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, McPhee recorded 92 tackles, 17 sacks, seven pass deflections and three forced fumbles. He started just six games during his time in Baltimore, but this season, he is expected to be a full-time starter at outside linebacker. He has only been in Chicago for a few months, but he has already made an impression on veteran edge-rusher Jared Allen, per Dickerson:
"He’s a big kid playing at 280 [pounds]. That’s a lot of meat coming at you. He has a lot of football intelligence and communication out there. He brings energy to the table and a competitive nature, and that’s what we all want and we feed off of that. The guy is a heck of a player, and he’s going to continue to grow and he’s young and he should have great days ahead of him.
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If McPhee can carry over his play from Chicago's second preseason game into the regular season, he has a chance to put up big numbers in Fangio's 3-4 defense.
Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.
Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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