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Music City Musings: Preseason Game 1 Stock Report

The Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-17 in a thrilling Saturday matinee affair that came down to the final seconds.

The Chicago Bears defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-17 in a thrilling Saturday matinee affair that came down to the final seconds. It featured your typical first preseason game jitters, thrills, spills, and bonehead turnovers. Who stood out for Tennessee? Which players have some work to do to make the roster/practice squad after preseason game one? Let’s take a look at the stock report.

Music City Musings: Preseason Game 1 Stock Report

Stock Up

1. Running Back Tyjae Spears 

Spears played well in his brief introduction to the pro ranks, starting with this nifty first carry for nine yards. He carried the Titans’ offense down the field for their first touchdown. The dynamic rookie from Tulane had his first highlight as seen below, stiff-arming Bears safety Eddie Jackson en route to a first down. After one game, he has solidified his standing as the primary backup to Derrick Henry. He finished Saturday with 58 all-purpose yards, according to Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune. The fantasy stock is trending up for Spears and could be a sneaky good handcuff pick.

2. Running Back Julius Chestnut

The veteran runner had a solid day at the office with the backups. He’s in a competition for a roster spot against Hassan Haskins and Jonathan Ward at the moment so any separation will be nice. Chestnut had a nice run which showed plenty of vision and burst, making multiple Bears miss for a big gain. He’ll likely make the roster as the third running back over the aforementioned pair.

3. Starting Offensive Line

The starting five of Andre Dillard, Peter Skoronski, Aaron Brewer, Daniel Brunskill, and Chris Hubbard held up well to start. The unit needs to gel quickly as they’ve never played together until Saturday. It was an encouraging start for the offensive front. There were no major lapses in real-game action.

4. Malik Willis 

While the rising sophomore passer wasn’t gaudy on the stat sheet, he showed tremendous improvement over last season in a live setting. Yes, he had a horrendous fastball interception that bounced off Josh Whyle’s hands, but he did show more poise and command in the offense. He led the offense on multiple scoring drives throughout and was accurate as a passer. The former Liberty signal caller was praised throughout the summer for his improvement in that regard and today was a glimpse. While it is only one game, Willis looks to have secured a firm grip on the backup spot.

5. Undrafted Rookies

A pair of undrafted receivers did some impressive work today. Tre’Shaun Harrison has had a big summer and training camp to date and carried it over to the game. He’s an effortless route runner and smooth athlete that gets open. Kearis Jackson showcased his wares as well in this contest. He was a big-time playmaker who converted a couple of first downs with the ball in his hands. Gavin Holmes had a good day as well. The trio is making a strong play for the lackluster depth spots in the receiver room, that’s for sure. The former Bulldog receiver Jackson has been really good throughout camp and the summer. It wouldn’t be surprising if a pair of undrafted rookies make the initial 53-man roster.

On the defensive side, CB Eric Garror had a nice game, making multiple tackles in space and being in the picture time after time. EDGE Caleb Murphy did have a nice debut as well, registering a lot of pressure, one of which led to a sack.

Stock Down

1. K Trey Wolff

The rookie kicker from Texas Tech missed a field gold and launched a kickoff out of bounds in his debut. Caleb Shudak was better in this game. Every little bit will matter in this too-close-to-call competition and today’s effort just might have won Shudak the job for now.

2. OL Depth

While the starters looked good, the depth did not have the best day out there. They allowed eight sacks on Willis and rookie Will Levis on the day. The Bears defensive front had their way with the backups (particularly Trevis Gipson), generating a ton of pressure in the quarterback’s faces. Tennessee’s coaching staff will have to hope that there are no injuries up front or it will be a very long day for Ryan Tannehill. It’s certainly possible that the depth chart could be fine-tuned a little bit more as we move along in the process.

3.  TE Josh Whyle 

The rookie tight end had an ignominious start as he fumbled after a reception and was overthrown on an interception. Perhaps it’s just rookie nerves but he will need to improve in the next contest. The good news is that he owned up to his mistakes and knows that he has to do better. Better luck next time, rookie.

4. Veteran Receivers

Veteran receivers Chris Moore and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine had games to forget. NWI dropped a couple of passes while Moore had ball security issues, resulting in two fumbles (one called for and one called back on replay.) The pair are likely safe on the roster bubble but with the performances of the rookies, it isn’t sure.

5. Front Seven Depth

A relatively uninspiring effort from the backups who played a large majority of the game. There wasn’t much in the way of an effective pass rush outside of a few plays. Backup linebacker Monty Rice’s spot could be in some trouble as others like Luke Gifford and Ben Niemann got more reps than he did. UDFA EDGE Thomas Rush did have some flashes, however. It wasn’t a total loss but the depth pieces have to get better.

Main Photo:  Mark Zaleski / The Tennessean-USA TODAY NETWORK

Joseph Yun

Joseph Yun

Joseph is a veteran writer of many publications past and present. He is a long time Tennessee Titans fan and draft scouting along with writing about the league are passions. Mr. Yun has been credentialed to the Senior Bowl multiple times. Readers will find that he brings the juice with a scout's eye and analytical mind.

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