Glennon’s Job Is Safe, Bears Defense Dominates, Cruz Ready For Challenge, and Other Bullets

Aug 28, 2017

It’s a quick turnaround for the Chicago Bears this week, who play the Cleveland Browns on Thursday to wrap up the preseason.

Let’s enjoy some highlights from Sunday’s win:

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/902185117753466880

Mike Glennon’s job is safe – for now. Glennon’s bounce-back performance after two sub-par preseason outings was a step in the right direction. So much so, in fact, Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune writes the Bears were encouraged by Sunday’s developments. And to be honest, Sunday’s performance – in which even Mitch Trubisky came away impressed – was an example of why GM Ryan Pace brought Glennon in as a free agent in the first place. Head coach John Fox noted how things haven’t changed as far as the quarterback depth chart is concerned, adding he doesn’t anticipate any changes either.

Over at The Athletic, Kevin Fishbain has a by-the-numbers look at what went down in Nashville. Despite the injury woes, there were plenty of positives that came out of Sunday’s game. For example, Glennon saw his yards per attempt go from 4.9 against the Cardinals to 7.4 when throwing against the Titans. And it’s impossible to overlook that 142.6 rating he posted on that long opening drive.

While Glennon’s precise passing on the Bears’ 96-yard scoring drive in the first quarter effectively served as a wet blanket for the Mitch Trubisky hype machine, the Bears defense covered every angle and shut down the Titans offense. Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times has details of how the Bears’ first-team defense continued to dominate during the preseason. This unit has allowed just one touchdown in three preseason games. No, the Denver Broncos’ offense isn’t what it once was, but the Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans are expected to be postseason contenders behind the strength of balanced attacks on the ground and in the air. Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, struggled with overthrows and handling the Bears’ pressure – especially in the first half when he completed just 7 of 13 passes and posted an 80.9 passer rating.

If the Bears are going to pull some surprises, they’ll need to continue to keep up their fine work on the defensive end. Perhaps Jaye Howard was onto something when he said he saw a top-10 defense lurking here.

Despite Trubisky’s flashes of brilliance and Glennon’s resurgence, Chicago’s offense hasn’t quite lit up the scoreboards in the preseason. And things are going to get tougher without Cameron Meredith at receiver. Still, that just means the other players on the depth chart need to step in and truly embrace the “next man up” mantra. That includes Victor Cruz, who hasn’t done much to help his cause since catching Trubisky’s first touchdown pass. ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets Cruz seems up for the challenge, adding the former New York Giants standout said “I’ll go wherever they need me” after losing Meredith and Markus Wheaton to injury. He’ll need that kind of go-get-em attitude if he wants to make this team.

CSN Chicago’s JJ Stankevitz writes about the reaction from the Bears locker room after Meredith’s injury, which is as somber as you’d expect. A true gut punch to a team that really didn’t need it and a player who looked to be on the brink of another breakout season.

The Kansas City Chiefs traded a conditional pick to the Buffalo Bills in order to acquire linebacker Reggie Ragland. It’s not a trade that directly impacts the Bears, but Chris Trapasso notes the Bears received a relatively decent haul to allow Buffalo to move up in the second round to take Ragland. By moving back, the Bears acquired picks used to draft offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, defensive back Deon Bush, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, and safety Eddie Jackson. Whitehair started all 16 games at center for the Bears last season, Kwiatkoski started at inside linebacker in place of Danny Trevathan last year, and Jackson is in line to start at safety as a rookie. Not a bad return in exchange for moving down eight picks.

Do you like to vote on things? Of course you do. Over at Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio is asking which team will win the NFC North. I’ll be curious to see how many votes the Bears receive.

This guy makes kicking indoors look easier than it already is:

Former Hawkeye Marshall Koehn made this 58-yarder from the Vikings logo, but followed up with a 47 yard miss. pic.twitter.com/kIhpnpuPFi

— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) August 28, 2017

The Detroit Lions don’t have a veteran backup in camp, but the team is still reportedly getting interest in one of its backups. Jake Rudock, who is listed as the No. 2 quarterback on Detroit’s depth chart, is reportedly drawing interest from other clubs according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Rudock completed 10 of 13 passes for 113 yards against the New England Patriots, but you’d think the Lions would have another quarterback lined up to replace him because third-string rookie Brad Kaaya doesn’t seem ready for that backup role.

Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times reports the Buccaneers have added defensive end Hendrick Ekpe to their roster. Ekpe spent time in Bears camp an undrafted free agent, but was cut after the team signed linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.

The Green Bay Packers are looking to add a linebacker to the mix, and could get their hands on one with a pretty good track record. Conor Orr of NFL Network writes the Packers have already requested a visit from Ahmad Brooks, who was recently released by the San Francisco 49ers. Brooks was a Pro Bowl linebacker in 2013, and has registered 27 sacks over the last four seasons.

ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports some positive news from the injury report at Packers camp. Tackle Bryan Bulaga is getting his ankle injury re-evaluated, and isn’t worried the injury will keep him off the field for the team’s regular-season opener. Bulaga missed the team’s third preseason game against the Denver Broncos after limping off the practice field earlier in the week.

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Glennon’s Job Is Safe, Bears Defense Dominates, Cruz Ready For Challenge, and Other Bullets

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