The Bears and Dolphins’ preseason opener ended in a 24-24 stalemate. Everybody goes home (relatively) happy, but still… nobody likes a tie. However, if you’re going to tie, it’s definitely better to do it in the preseason than when the games start to matter.
Does the fact that the game ended in a tie matter? Not really. There were a few valuable takeaways and notable performances in the game, though. Those matter. Some of them potentially matter a lot, as a few players looked like they could contribute on Sundays. With that said, who stood out and helped themselves the most?
Kyle Monangai
Kyle Monangai looked really solid yesterday. Seventh-round selections tend to wind up on practice squads just as often as they round out the back end of rosters. However, they very rarely carve out niche roles in their rookie season. Monongai seems to have a real chance to buck that trend this year, though. The Bears don’t exactly have a running back room that would rival the one Ben Johnson had in Detroit.
Even with a less-than-impressive running back room, Monangai needs to make the most out of every opportunity if he wants to play past August. He passed his first (televised) test with flying colors, as he left a few defenders with bruises when they got in his way. His final stat line may have been modest (six attempts for 30 yards), but the way he got the yards was far from it. The 23-year-old has a chance to be the thunder to D’Andre Swift’s lightning for Chicago this year. It could be a potentially lucrative role with Johnson calling the shots.
Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos is a great kicker. The only complaint that some have about him is that he doesn’t have the strongest leg. His career-long kick was from 55 yards out, and he is only 29 of 44 from beyond 50 in his career. That led some fans to pine for a replacement this offseason, and they pinned their hopes on undrafted rookie Jonathan Kim after the team signed him this offseason. Santos quieted those doubters with his 57-yard bomb before halftime, though. He was already heavily favored to resume his kicking duties, but he all but locked up his roster spot (barring an all-time collapse over the next month) with that make. It genuinely might’ve been one of the most important of his career (besides his last one, of course), and it happened on August 10th.
The only downside to Santos’ day was the fact that Ben Johnson didn’t give him a chance to ice the game with a 54-yard attempt to break the tie inside the two-minute warning. He instead opted to leave the offense on the field to pick up a 4th-and-three. That would have been icing on the cake for the 33-year-old. On the bright side (for Santos’ perspective), Johnson also didn’t give Kim a chance to boot it. That definitely would’ve stolen Santos’ thunder.
Noah Sewell
The word around Bears training camp and OTAs was that something seemed to have clicked for Noah Sewell this offseason. Could it be the new defensive scheme under Dennis Allen? Motivation over a newly wide-open third linebacker spot after Jack Sanborn’s departure? Just the fact that it takes some players some time to get their feet underneath them? It’s tough to say for sure, but he definitely looked like a different player against Miami. He finished the game with six tackles (three solo) and was around the football whenever he saw the field. The 24-year-old also made one of the biggest plays of the game when he stuffed Jaylen Wright in the backfield on fourth down on the Dolphins’ first drive.
Conversely, could it just be the fact that he was playing against backups? Sure, but that doesn’t change the fact that he failed to stand out against backups in preseason over the previous two years. It also doesn’t change the fact that his huge TFL came against (most of) Miami’s starting offense, too. Regardless, it’s much better to be having this conversation than one where we lament the Bears for not prioritizing the position this offseason. Oh, while on that topic
Ruben Hyppolite II
Sewell wasn’t the only linebacker who impressed yesterday, as Ruben Hyppolite II looked like a heat-seeking missile next to him. Remember when a large portion of the Bears fan base was upset the team drafted Hyppolite in the fourth round in April? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and so do I. I thought the outrage was silly. Hyppolite ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, and it’s plainly obvious to see what they saw in him. That speed certainly shows up on game day, too.
He finished the game with six tackles and blew up Jaylen Wright in the backfield for a lightning-quick TFL (almost feels like Déjà vu) at one point. It’s obviously far too soon to assume Hyppolite will be a fourth-round success story, but he’s clearly off to a good start. Dennis Allen has earned a reputation as an aggressive play-caller, and that was on display yesterday when he called an all-out blitz on fourth down late in the game. It’s difficult not to get excited about Hyppolite’s potential in such an aggressive scheme. What was once considered a relatively thin position could be one of their best.
Austin Booker
Austin Booker was the best player on the field yesterday, on either side of the field. I know it was against backups, but he’s also a projected backup. He didn’t look like it, though, did he? Three sacks, a forced fumble, and a few more near-sacks would make the answer to that question a resounding no. He looked like a man amongst boys out there.
If you’re a pessimist, you could say that he did the same thing last preseason and proceeded to have a minimal impact in the regular season. I bet you’re a blast at parties if that’s your rebuttal. My rebuttal to that rebuttal was that he was also an extremely raw 21-year-old rookie playing under an inept coaching staff. There is reason for optimism heading into year two. He reinforced that today. Booker looks primed to make some noise as a situational edge rusher and could even push Dayo Odeyingbo inside on third-downs.
