Chicago Bears: The 12 Most Impressive Bears so Far in the Preseason

The preseason is in full swing and while we aren't going to see as much of the young talent this year as we have in previous years—mostly due to the shortened offseason—we will still see enough to turn heads Sundays and gush about on Mondays.

Now, in the case of the young rookies, especially the undrafted free agents, caution should be used before crowning one of these kids the next Kurt Warner, John Randle or Priest Holmes.

Every year we get the chants for the young guns that make an impact in the preseason...against other UDFAs.  We knew these players were good against other college players already.  That's why they were signed in the first place.

Coaches aren't just looking at production.  They are looking at form and technique.  They are looking at the ability to learn.  They are looking for athleticism.  So let's remember that the preseason receiving leader very well could miss the roster.  Remember Brandon Rideau, Mike Hass and Eric Peterman.

That being said, some of these kids will make the roster.  The Bears have a lot of holes and some of them are at positions that the Bears traditionally will look at UDFAs to fill, like linemen and linebackers.

Some of the newly acquired veterans are also shining, and against veteran competition.  Preseason is not regular season, but there are some good things happening on the field with some of these newly acquired Bears and even a few surprises among already established players.

Here are a couple of honorable mentions before we kick off:

TE Kyle Adams, MLB Dom DeCicco, CB Mike Holmes, WR Dane Sanzenbacher, DE Vernon Gholston and S Craig Steltz.

Now follow me as we take a look at the 12 most impressive Bears so far in this preseason.

Left Guard Chris Williams

The offensive line gave up nine sacks.  But it should be noted that only three of those were attributable to the starting line—all in the first two drives—and It should also be noted that those sacks are were given up by J'Marcus Webb and Roberto Garza.

I tend to re-watch the games a couple of times, focusing on individual matchups on the line one time, wide receivers and corners the next time and offensive backfield and linebackers the last.  After watching the lines, I was surprised at my notes on Williams.  He was actually impressive.

I'm not used to saying good things about Chris Williams, but he did a good job against the Bills.  He held his own in pass-blocking situations and he led the way for some of Marion Barber's best runs.  He showed very good technique in both pass protection and run-blocking.

CW has never been known as a mean player, but he was mauling the Bills defensive line as he paved the way for Marion Barber.  Did somebody light a fire under this guys rump, or what?

Maybe Chris has finally found his groove.  Maybe his back is finally completely healthy.  I don't know what got him there, but he flashed some of the same potential that got us so excited when he owned Jared Allen at the end of the '09 season.

If he continues down this path, Williams might turn out to be a very good guard.

Free Safety Major Wright

Major Wright showed up against Buffalo in a big way.  We didn't get to see enough of his coverage skills, but what we did see of him was very good.

First, his tackling technique was flawless.  I was really impressed by both his ability to wrap up the ball carrier effectively and by the power with which he hits.

Another thing that was impressive was his range.  Wright was all over the place and seemed to be around the ball every play.  He led the team with five solo tackles.

I started out watching the game wondering if Chris Conte was going to make a run ar the FS spot.  I left it thinking that there is no way that will happen.  Conte is at a huge disadvantage to start with, given the shortened preseason.  He did some nice things—though he also completely whiffed on a tackle that he sold out on at the line of scrimmage—but Wright looked like he's been there a while, and there's no way that anyone will unseat him if he continues down this path.

The other impression I came away with, though, was that while wright looks excellent at the FS spot, he might eventually be the guy who slides over to replace Chris Harris at strong safety.  His tackling and recognition skills seem more in line with that spot.

All in all I came away impressed with both young safeties and was left thinking that the future of Chicago's two-deep game is in good hands with Wright and Conte.

Cornerback Tim Jennings

For an undersized DB, Jennings can be a lot more physical than you would expect.

But then, that's not so much of a surprise.  He replaced Zach Bowman on the starting lineup last year because Bowman wasn't physical enough.

What did surprise me is that Jennings looked like he put some serious effort into developing his coverage game in the offseason.

Part of this might just be that he's had a full year in Lovie Smith's defense and is a bit more comfortable now.  

But he showed some improvement in his hip movement and in his positioning to the receiver in the first preseason game.

Quarterback Caleb Hanie

Hanie continues to impress.  His statistics weren't great, and the line and his receivers didn't help him with that but he showed poise in the pocket and great mobility.

Frankly, his most impressive pass was an incompletion to Earl Bennett.  The deep ball that Bennett let glide through his hands was beautifully placed.  But it also showed that Hanie is capable of trusting his receivers instead of trying to do it all himself, which would have been one of my biggest criticisms last season of the young QB who should have been the second-stringer last year.

Also, his tuck and run for the TD was nice.  His decision to run there was was a good one.  And behind this line, those kind of quick reads and hesitation-free decisions are very important.

Wide Receiver Kris Adams

The Bears needed bigger targets to diversify their passing attack and give Cutler that go-up-and-get-it option at receiver.  Roy Williams and Sam Hurd were both brought in through free agency to help in that department.

But Kris Adams stole the show against the Bills.  The 6'3" receiver with the 39.5 inch vertical leap from UTEP made a lot of big plays.

But more importantly, he ran good routes, showed he can catch in traffic and showed that he is willing to go up and get the ball.

As I alluded to in the intro slide, every year there is some spectacular looking receiver who catches everyone's eye, only to become a former member of the roster after final cuts, never to be heard from again.

But I think that if he keeps showing the coaches that he's more than putting up production against guys who won't make an NFL roster, Adams might just force the Bears to keep six wideouts.

Dane Sanzenbacher was supposed to be that guy, and he looked pretty good in the game.  But he just wasn't as polished as Adams seems to be, nor is he as physically gifted.

But one game won't make this decision for the Bears.  This could turn into a knock-down-drag-out fight for a roster spot between Adams and Sanzenbacher that might be the most impressive roster battle of the preseason in Chicago.

Defensive Tackle Amobi Okoye

Donning Tommie Harris's old number, Amobi looked a lot like the Tommie of old in his first preseason action with the Bears.

Amobi got a lot of push and penetration on the line and recorded two sacks.

But the play that impressed me the most came with about four minutes remaining in the second quarter.  

Okoye looked to have been blocked out of the play by Buffalo's RG when Bills RB Johnny White burst through the line.  But Amobi shed the block and chased the rookie RB down to limit his gain to six yards.  

That kind of second effort has been sorely missing from the Bears DTs for a while.

Running Back Marion Barber

Wow.  Barber is the kind of rusher that belongs in Chicago.

Hard-nosed and punishing were the best two adjectives I can think of to describe his efforts.  He ran people over, moved piles and hit defenders before they could hit him.  Truly impressive.

It seems as though the demise of Marion Barber III has been greatly exaggerated.

Right Guard Edwin Williams

With such a bad overall performance by the line, how can two of the members of that group be on this list?  Because they belong here.  The line's woes were many, but that doesn't mean there weren't also some good players who shined.  Chris Williams couldn't block Garza's men too.

And Edwin Williams impressed me.  By my count, he recorded four pancake blocks against the Bills. 

Now, he wasn't playing against the first team defense, but he was playing against linemen what will make the roster.  His technique in pass blocking was OK, though his footwork could use some help.

But his run blocking was phenomenal.  In fact, it was good enough that the Bears should be considering moving him into Lance Louis's starting slot.  It's been reported that the Bears are considering moving Garza back to right guard and moving Spencer up the depth chart to start at center.  

But honestly, if Williams keeps playing the way he did against the Bills, the Bears might have to start giving him first team reps.

Quarterback Nate Enderle

Much was made this week about Enderle's speed, or lack there of.  And while Nate was rather sluggish on the field, he did some good things, too.

First and foremost was reading the defense and taking what they gave him.  He needs to get a bit faster at it, but his decision making was very good.

Second was his poise in the pocket.  He stood in there and took the shots but still made some nice completions.  His pocket sense needs work, but he certainly showed the guts to stand in there and make the throw when he knows he's going to take a shot.

He definitely needs to work on some things, but considering the limited amount of time he has had to learn, I thought he was rather impressive.

Let's hope the Bears don't outsmart themselves, like they did with Dan Lafevour last year, and end up losing out on another promising young backup.

Right Tackle Gabe Carimi

I'm going to be honest here.  I haven't been this impressed with a Chicago first round pick since Tommie Harris.

Carimi showed veteran footwork, solid technique and a mean streak in his first outing as a Bear.  After the past few first round linemen in Chicago, I was a bit skeptical.  But the Jewish Hammer put those thought to rest quickly.

I was left wondering, after watching the game, why line coach Mike Tice is insistent on keeping J'Marcus Webb at the left tackle position.

Granted, Webb is without a doubt the most physically gifted tackle on the team.  So I can understand the allure.  But his technique is horrible, and as raw as he is, his confidence would be done a world of good by getting a year to develop NFL technique.  As it is, they look like they're destroying this kid's confidence by throwing him to the wolves rather than actually developing footwork and blocking technique to make use of his physical gifts.

The Bears and Webb would be better served demoting the prospect and moving Carimi to the left and installing Frank Omiyale on the right side.  If they are bound and determined to develop Carimi on the right, them move Frank back to the blind side and develop Webb to eventually replace him.

However they handle it, Carimi will be a bright spot on the line.  He looked more like a comfortable veteran in his debut than a rookie who was subjected to a shortened offseason.  Gabe is the real deal.

Defensive Tackle Henry Melton

One of the players that surprised me and impressed me the most in the Bears first preseason game was DT Henry Melton.

The were questions about how Melton's athleticism would be affected by him gaining 35 pounds in the offseason at the request of the Bears coaching staff.  Melton weighted in at a svelte 260 pounds last season and his speed and explosiveness allowed him to overcome his lack of bulk on the defensive line.

In fact, his athleticism was good enough that the Bears gave him a shot at kick returning last offseason.  After all, Melton spent his first year with the university of Texas as a running back.

But Rod Marinelli wanted Melton to add weight, and Melton obliged.

And it didn't appear that his explosiveness or his speed were affected much by the added bulk.  And Melton wreaked havoc on the Bills starting offensive line.  

Amobi Okoye was the guy registering sacks, but Melton had a lot to do with that, drawing double teams and collapsing the pocket with regularity.  He turned runners inside with his penetration and hurried quarterbacks.

While Okoye put up the stats, Melton was really the shining star on the defensive line against Buffalo.

Running Back Kahlil Bell

Let's preface this with some context.  Bell was rushing against the Bills second team defense.  So weight his production against that.

That begs the question of why I would make Bell the final slide when his production came after the Bills starters were already cooling off, especially given the performance that Barber put up.

Because his production is not what landed him here.  His improvement is.

Somebody should be checking Bell's supplements or something, because he has improved almost every aspect of his game.  And not just a little.

Seriously though, he obviously did a lot of work in the offseason, as he showed improved burst, speed, vision and stamina.  He seemed more confident and far less hesitant.  And his understanding of this offense hints to a lot of time spent pouring over the playbook.

He showed a patience behind blockers that was never their before.

Bell has always been more heart than ability or technique.  Now it appears he may have built the physical attributes and the technical foundation to render Chester Taylor obsolete.

The one area that he is still glaringly flawed in is his blocking.  But for a player that many—including myself—had written off, Bell looked like a lock to make the roster.

Again, one game will not make the decision for Chicago.  But Bell set himself up well, and showed improvement far beyond the ability to run past players that won't make the Bills roster.  

Well done, Mr. Bell.

And now it's your turn, Ladies and Gentlemen!  Who impressed you?  Who disgusted you?  What do you think of these players and what they showed?  Step up to the soapbox—known as the comment thread—and let your voice be heard.  Sound off!