After a brief, 10-play cameo in the Bears’ second preseason game, Justin Fields and the regulars are set to get an extended look in the preseason finale.
Head Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters at Halas Hall that the team’s plan is to play the starters and regulars “up to the half” in the Bears’ third (and final) preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday. Eberflus estimates it will be about 25-30 plays for the starters. He also hinted at more experienced regulars getting a lighter workload, but said quarterback Justin Fields will get the entire first half of work. Hopefully, it goes better than it did the last time the Bears were in Cleveland.
At minimum, Eberflus having a plan as his team heads into Cleveland is a step above where the Bears were the last time against the Browns. Just saying … that was an awful mess and the official beginning of the end of the Pace-Nagy era. Merely having a plan in place is a move in the right direction.
Striking a balance when it comes to allocating playing time sounds like a delicate chore. However, it sounds like Eberflus has a plan he wants to execute when it comes to deploying his regulars this week. And I’m curious to see how it unfolds.
Particularly when it comes to Roquan Smith, who is set to make his preseason debut on Saturday:
Smith’s hold-in came to an end last Saturday when he appeared in his first practice. With the trade request rescinded, things are lining up for Smith to play out the final year of his contract without an extension. What happens after that is a great mystery, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, this is as close as we’ll get to the Bears being fully operational before the curtain goes up on the regular season in 19 days. It’s just the preseason, but it won’t stop me from feeling a buzz.
For more from the coach, you can check out his whole press conference here: