Tag: Zacch Pickens

Every standout player from Bears’ preseason win vs. Titans

Several Bears came to play in the team’s first preseason game, and we’re examining those standout performances.

The first week of the Chicago Bears’ preseason is officially in the books, and the Bears’ game against the Titans was a fun one.

Quarterback Justin Fields threw two touchdowns on only three passes thanks to the heroic efforts of wide receiver DJ Moore and running back Khalil Herbert. A perceived weakness suddenly became a strength as the defense racked up eight sacks, and Chicago came away with the win.

Players on every level of the depth chart came to play, and we’re going to go through every standout players from the Bears’ preseason win against the Titans.

Bears notebook: What we learned from Day 12 of training camp

The Bears had a long and physical practice on Wednesday. Our Brendan Sugrue was in attendance and shared his observations from Halas Hall.

The Chicago Bears preseason opener will be here before we know it and Wednesday’s practice served as a true tune-up for the game. The pads were back on and the Bears held their second-to-last public camp practice up at Halas Hall and it was a long one.

For just over two hours and 15 minutes, the Bears engaged in a physical practice packed with plenty of 11-on-11 drills. There was some good, some bad, and some concerning as the Bears lost a couple of key players to injuries.

For the second consecutive day, I was able to take in practice from the stands and here is what I observed and learned throughout the session.

Bears training camp: Tracking rookie progress after first week

We’re taking a closer look at the 2023 Bears rookie draft class to see how they’ve performed in training camp up to this point.

Training camp is in full swing for the Chicago Bears, who have now completed seven days of practice since reporting to Halas Hall last week. Early on, the offense stole the show with big plays in the passing game, but the defense caught up once pads came on the last couple of days.

Players like Justin Fields, D.J. Moore, Chase Claypool, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaquan Brisker, and Kyler Gordon have stolen the headlines at one time or another after each practice, but what about the Bears rookie class? General manager Ryan Poles selected 10 players in total earlier this spring, most notably tackle Darnell Wright with the No. 10 overall pick.

Wright has been a starter at right tackle from Day 1 and he’s been one of the more intriguing players as camp has gotten underway. There’s more to the rookies than just the first-round pick, though. Here’s an overview of each Bears rookie performance up to this point in camp.

Where Bears’ Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter rank among defensive tackles in Madden 24

See the ratings that Bears defensive tackles Justin Jones, Gervon Dexter and others notched in Madden 24.

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The Chicago Bears had arguably the league’s worst defensive line last season, where there’s been some overhauling specifically along the interior.

EA Sports has started releasing Madden 24 ratings, continuing with defensive tackles. Veterans Justin Jones and Andrew Billings led the way for the Bears. Jones earned a 74 rating (31st) and Bills notched a 72 rating (41st).

Jones was easily the best defensive lineman this season, and he provided consistency to Chicago’s weakest position group. Poles praised Jones as one of the most consistent playmakers along the defensive front this season, where he led the team in tackles for loss and was second in QB hits.

Billings was signed in free agency to shore up the defensive line. He’s a dominant run stuffer who should immediately upgrade what was one of the NFL’s worst run defenses last season.

Elsewhere, Chicago’s rookie defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens received their ratings. Dexter landed a 68 with Pickens earning a 67. Dexter and Pickens will serve as important rotational pieces along the defensive line, even thought they might not start immediately, as rookies.

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30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 9 Justin Jones

At No. 9 on our Most Important Bears series is Justin Jones, the clear leader in an overhauled interior defensive line group.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

At No. 9 is defensive tackle Justin Jones, who will still be counted on as a leader of the defense despite having added competition.

8 Bears rookies to watch during training camp

There’s plenty of excitement surrounding this Bears rookie class. Here are the most intriguing rookies to watch at training camp.

The Chicago Bears have an intriguing 2023 rookie draft class, headlined by first-round offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

General manager Ryan Poles addressed a slew of needs with his 10 draft picks, where many of these rookies are expected to contribute immediately this season.

As the Bears prepare for training camp later this month, this class of rookies has a lot to prove and learn ahead of some valuable preseason action in August.

Here’s a look at the eight most intriguing Bears rookies to watch during training camp:

Bears 2023 training camp preview: Interior defensive line

Next up in our Bears training camp preview is the interior defensive line, featuring news faces like Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, so it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, breaking down every player by position and examining the group’s biggest question.

Up next is the interior defensive line, a focus area of the Bears this offseason, signing free agent Andrew Billings and drafting rookies Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Travis Bell.

Like most teams, the Bears have more defensive linemen on the roster heading into training camp than they will have in Week 1 of the regular season. Most teams will aim to be two-deep at each position, meaning only four of the seven linemen on the depth chart will suit up against Green Bay on Sept. 10.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ interior defensive line heading into training camp:

Draft reaction: Bears select DL Zacch Pickens No. 64 overall

Draft reaction: the Chicago Bears select South Carolina DL Zacch Pickens in the third round

The Chicago Bears add a huge piece to their rebuilding defense at the top of the third round with the selection of former 5-star recruit out of South Carolina Zacch Pickens.

Pickens was highly touted out of high school and landed in a impactful role as a freshman. Pickens ultimately saw significant time with the Gamecocks for four straight seasons before entering the draft. During his final two college seasons, Picken wracked up 59 tackles, 33 quarterback pressures, and an impressive eight sacks. He was a constant pester for opposing quarterbacks, and his athleticism gives him a high ceiling at the next level.

While the Bears have an interesting mix along their interior defensive line, with veterans Andrew Billings and Justin Jones, as well as the other defensive lineman they drafted earlier in Gervon Dexter. Pickens will likely be used in a rotation, and could eventually start next to Dexter as the season progresses.

Ranking the best Bears offseason acquisitions

We looked at every Bears offseason acquisition made by Ryan Poles to determine which ones were the best.

When the Chicago Bears take the field for the first training camp practice later this month, there will be plenty of new faces to see. General manager Ryan Poles was busy this offseason, overhauling areas of the Bears in hopes of improving upon a league-worst 3-14 record.

But with premium draft capital and the most available cap space of any team in the league, Poles made plenty of moves to bring in new players that should help the Bears rebound. Some moves were flashy signings that took place at the start of free agency. Others were late-round draft picks who could turn out to be steals. But which ones were the best?

Here is our ranking of the best Bears offseason moves thus far in 2023.

5 Bears rookies who could crack the starting lineup in 2023

Let’s take a look at the Bears players from this recent draft class who could carve out a starting role in 2023.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it clear his intent it to build through the draft, and we saw that from the impacts of his first rookie class. And that certainly looks to be the case with his 2023 class.

Poles addressed some big holes on the roster with some potential impact players in the draft, including some who are expected to start immediately as rookies — or could very well be starting by season’s end.

There are five Bears from this recent 2023 draft class who should crack the starting lineup this season. Let’s take a look: