The Chicago Bears took on the Miami Dolphins in their preseason opener Sunday at Soldier Field, which resulted in a 24-24 tie (with no overtime in the preseason). This came after an intense joint practice on Friday, where the starters went head-to-head.
Head coach Ben Johnson and his staff made their Bears coaching debuts. For Johnson, it was his first career preseason game as a head coach in the NFL. While no Chicago starters played in this game, there was still plenty to watch amid standout performances and position battles.
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How did each unit of the Bears perform under Johnson? We gave a letter grade for the offense, defense, special teams and coaching.
Offense: A
On offense, there was no Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, or Cole Kmet. The only primary offensive weapon that was used was rookie tight end Colston Loveland, who had one reception for eight yards before leaving the game.
Quarterback Tyson Bagent started and played for the entire first half. He struggled out of the gate, but got things going as the first half progressed. Bagent had one impressive touchdown throw to wide receiver Maurice Alexander, while quarterback Case Keenum had two (running back Deion Hankins and wide receiver Jahdae Walker) in the second half. Fourth-string QB Austin Reed was unable to drive them down the field for a game-winning field goal, but they did score 24 points as a unit of depth players.
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With the lack of starters in the game going against some of Miami’s top players for a little bit, they managed to put up some points. You could also tell that Ben Johnson’s operation was significantly smoother than what we’ve seen in the past. An A-grade, with all things considered, is more than fair.
Defense: A
Like the offense, it is hard to truly evaluate things as a whole during the preseason. Yes, they gave up 24 points, but there were some mismatches due to reserves being used in the first game.
Individual players stood out, like linebacker Noah Sewell, defensive end Dominique Robinson, defensive end Austin Booker, and safety Alex Cook, among others. Specifically, Booker was the player of the game on either side of the ball. Whether it was sacking the quarterback (three times), making tackles, disrupting the Miami backfield, or forcing a fumble, he made his mark.
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Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen seems to have a pulse on his depth players, and it could get even better when you insert defensive end Montez Sweat, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Allen sending a blitz on fourth down, when the Dolphins were trying to get the yardage needed for a game-winning field goal, was fresh for this organization after having Matt Eberflus run things in recent seasons. Based on the individual success along with the bigger picture in mind, this group gets an A.
Special Teams: D
Kicker Cairo Santos, who’s known to have a weaker leg despite being accurate from under 50 yards, nailed a 57-yard field goal during the first half. It also appears as if he’s getting better with his kickoffs with the new rules. Punter Tory Taylor had a solid game, as well, averaging 52.3 yards per punt.
The special teams unit earned their D comes with the kick and punt return coverage. Both of their punt returns only resulted in nine yards. That is not good enough. They also ran back three kicks, two of them were for 22 yards and one was for 21. That is also an unacceptable average. Kickers are getting better at hitting the “landing zone,” so there will be more emphasis on the return game. If they can’t cover kicks better, Caleb Williams will seldom start with great field position.
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Coaching: A
On this coaching side of things, this game was a breath of fresh air for Bears fans. The offense ran smoothly, took risks, and scored points. On defense, they used different packages that looked like they could translate to meaningful games when the better players are executing them.
Ben Johnson, as mentioned before, was running a clean-looking operation. On defense, Dennis Allen’s group did things that the former staff wouldn’t even think of. That example of the late fourth-quarter blitz sticks out the most. There are some things to clean up as camp and the preseason progress, but the new coaching staff made a pretty good first impression when it comes to game action. For now, they get an A for their debut.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears Report Card: How we graded Chicago in preseason game vs Dolphins
