Tag: Tajae Sharpe

10 players to watch in the Bears’ preseason opener vs. Chiefs

Here are 10 players we’re keeping an eye on when the Bears take on the Chiefs this weekend.

We’re just hours away from the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City opening the preseason at Soldier Field, marking an important milestone in the countdown to the 2022 regular season. First-year head coach Matt Eberflus will make his unofficial coaching debut against one of the best coaches in the league, Andy Reid.

Preseason football can go many different ways, depending on the play calls and players they want available for the game. Both teams appear to be in sync, however, as they each confirmed their starters will play for at least a few series on Saturday. That means fans will get a chance to see not only how the Bears top players will look, but how they look against the Chiefs starters as well.

Last year’s preseason opener was all about the debut of quarterback Justin Fields, who dazzled fans in attendance at Soldier Field with his ability to make big plays. Fields will still get plenty of attention, but who else is worth monitoring? Here are 10 players we’ll be watching when kickoff gets underway on Saturday, August 13 at 12 p.m. CT.

7 standouts from Thursday’s Bears training camp practice

Here’s who stood out during Thursday’s non-padded Bears training camp practice.

The Chicago Bears held their final practice of the week on Thursday morning before they play in their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend. It was a lighter, non-padded practice for head coach Matt Eberflus’ squad, but plenty of players still stood out on both sides of the ball, with the offense looking sharp during the first half and the defense stepping up their play later on.

After taking in the practice from the endzone bleachers, here’s who stood out to me and made an impact on the field.

7 Bears who impressed during the second week of training camp

The second week of Bears training camp is in the books. Here’s a look at the standouts from the last six practices.

The Chicago Bears have wrapped their second week of training camp at Halas Hall. There were no shortage of storylines, including more development along the offensive line and some injury updates.

The Bears are gearing up for the start of the preseason, where players will get more chances to prove themselves. But before that, there were some standout performances during the second week of practice. Whether it’s veterans looking to break out or rookies looking to be immediate impact players, there were some encouraging performances on display.

Here’s a look at seven players who impressed during the second week of training camp practices:

Bears’ Tajae Sharpe stepping up amid injuries at wide receiver

With the Bears down four wide receivers to injury, Tajae Sharpe is taking advantage of his opportunities.

The Chicago Bears are dealing with a number of injuries to notable players through the first two weeks of training camp.

The Bears are without four of their top six wide receivers — Byron Pringle (quad, no timetable for return), Velus Jones Jr. (undisclosed, day to day), N’Keal Harry (left ankle, unknown) and Dante Pettis (undisclosed, day to day).

With those players sidelined, it’s opened up some opportunities for players further down the depth chart. That includes veteran Tajae Sharpe, who stepped up in a big way during Saturday’s practice.

Sharpe, who started training camp on the non-football injury list, had some impressive catches from quarterback Justin Fields on Saturday.

“When you have a guy step up like that, that’s awesome,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “That’s what it’s all about, right? Guys go down, guys step up and Tajae did a nice job. We’re excited to have him back. He’s back now and he looks good in the drills.”

Outside of Darnell Mooney, the battle at receiver is wide open. Although, Pringle, Jones and Equanimeous St. Brown are all expected to make the roster. But with Harry suffering what appeared to be a significant leg injury, there could be two roster spots at receiver up for grabs.

If Sharpe continues to impress during practice and into the preseason, he could certainly find himself in the mix for a roster spot.

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Winners and losers after first week of Bears training camp

The Chicago Bears have already completed over a week of training camp and a few players are standing out, both positively and negatively.

The Chicago Bears have already completed over one week of training camp at Halas Hall and a few players are standing out, both positively and negatively.

There’s still a long way to go until the final roster is set and preseason games have yet to get underway, but here are the winners and losers at this point during camp for the Bears.

Bears place Roquan Smith on physically unable to perform list to open training camp

Here’s a quick breakdown of each move the Bears made to open training camp, including placing LB Roquan Smith on the PUP list.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of training camp, and there are no shortage of storylines to watch. One of those includes linebacker Roquan Smith’s contract situation, which was expected to hold him out of practice.

The Bears announced that Smith was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which is for players who have football-related injuries and are unable to practice.

When general manager Ryan Poles met with the media on Tuesday, he explained that there were some moves coming ahead of Wednesday’s practice. Here’s a quick breakdown of each move the Bears made ahead of the first practice of training camp.

5 bold predictions for Bears 2022 training camp

From position battles to trade requests, here are our bold predictions ahead of Bears training camp 2022.

We’re now just hours away from Chicago Bears training camp officially getting underway as all players are scheduled to report to Halas Hall beginning on Tuesday.

For a team that’s under new leadership from the top down, there’s a lot that can happen when practices begin later in the week. Position battles will ramp up, preseason darlings will emerge, key veterans will be in danger of being cut, and perhaps even a trade takes place. Here are our bold predictions ahead of Bears training camp 2022.

7 most intriguing position battles to watch at 2022 Bears training camp

We’re taking a look at the most intriguing position battles heading into Bears training camp later this month.

The Chicago Bears are set to report to training camp on July 26, and there will be no shortage of position battles to watch as camp and the preseason unfolds. There are not only starting jobs on the line but roster spots, as well.

With a new regime in place, there’s been some notable roster turnover this offseason, which includes a lot of players on one-year, prove-it deals. But there’s also plenty of young talent on the roster looking to establish themselves as long-term starters.

Here’s a look at the most intriguing position battles heading into Bears training camp later this month, from offensive line to defensive end to wide receiver.

Bears receiving corps ranked worst in NFL by PFF

In what will come as a surprise to no one, Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears’ receiving corps as the worst in the NFL.

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The Chicago Bears have never fared well with offseason receiving corps rankings. But after the way the national media has been ripping into Justin Fields’ supporting cast this offseason, there was no way to expect anything less than, at best, a bottom-five ranking.

With that in mind, the national narrative has revolved around quarterback Justin Fields being put in a terrible position with no proven supporting cast. Darnell Mooney is the only proven commodity on the roster, but the Bears have added some intriguing options in Byron Pringle and third-round rookie Velus Jones Jr.

In what will come as a surprise to no one, Pro Football Focus ranked the Bears’ receiving corps as the worst in the NFL.

It’s not difficult to see what new general manager Ryan Poles’ strategy is. He wants to build the “right way,” and that means not overspending in free agency or reaching in the draft. The unfortunate side effect of that plan this offseason is that Justin Fields is in the midst of one of the worst offensive situations in the NFL entering a pivotal second season.

Darnell Mooney is the lone established option in the receiving corps after earning a 74.9 PFF receiving grade in his second season out of Tulane. He’s still better suited as a No. 2, which is a title currently held by free agent acquisition Byron Pringle. Leaning heavily on Pringle, Tajae Sharpe, Velus Jones Jr. and Equanimeous St. Brown isn’t where you want to be as an offense.

The criticism is fair, especially considering Mooney is the only proven wideout on the team. Even with the upsides of guys like Pringle and Jones, it’s a group with plenty to prove this season.

With the importance of Fields’ development in Year 2, Poles’ mindset of signing guys to one-year, prove-it deals isn’t what many expected. Especially when seeing what other teams have done for their young quarterbacks this offseason.

But Fields has defended his receivers this offseason, saying they’re “good enough” to get the job done. We’ll see if that proves true.

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Bears signing former Titans WR Tajae Sharpe

Sharpe is inking a one-year deal with the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are reportedly signing former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe.

The news comes from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who notes Sharpe is signing a one-year deal with Chicago. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A former fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2016, Sharpe spent the first four years of his career in Nashville, playing in 47 games (29 starts). He totaled 92 catches for 1,167 yards and eight touchdowns in that time.

Sharpe signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 but couldn’t carve out a role, as he played in just four games and didn’t record a stat.

In 2021, the Massachusetts product hooked up with his former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Atlanta, where he appeared in 15 games (seven starts) and finished with 25 catches for 230 yards.

As Rapoport mentioned, Sharpe is a depth signing for the Bears and will have a good opportunity to make their 53-man roster out of training camp thanks to a wide-open situation at the position in Chicago.

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