Eberflus impressed with Tyler Scott, Tyson Bagent |
CHICAGO - The preseason did not end how most Bears fans would have liked, with a 24-21 loss versus the Buffalo Bills in Soldier Field. However, there were some positives that head coach Matt Eberflus took away from this performance, specifically highlighting wide receiver Tyler Scott for his special teams plays and kicker Cairo Santos for his consistency.
“Certainly liked Tyler Scott and his return game; I really liked that. That was good to see; made a nice tackle on the, as a gunner. That was also good to see. And then Cairo going two-for-two again, 51 yards. That was excellent,” Eberflus said. “We’ve been impressed with (Scott) the whole time, you know, honestly. He’s very smart, you know, learned the offense really fast, can play multiple positions, you know, and now in the kicking game, you know, playing gunner and he made that nice tackle and then the kick return that he had, had a couple fair catches in punt return I believe. So, he did a nice job with that, too.” Another player who has stood out all preseason long is quarterback Tyson Bagent. After going undrafted coming out of a Division II school, Bagent has really stepped up in the preseason. Today, Eberflus gave him the opportunity to go into the game as the No. 2 quarterback. He finished the game with one interception but was also the leading rusher with 23 yards and a touchdown. “He operated the offense, was in and out of the huddle,” Eberflus said regarding Bagent. “A lot of times when you’re working with, you know, different pieces of parts, sometimes you’re getting up there to the line, and it’s seven seconds, and he was very mindful of the clock to get the snaps off … I thought he was accurate, you know. The decision-making was good.” Even with all of this, Eberflus declined to say if Bagent has secured the No. 2 quarterback spot. According to him, a decision has not yet been made, but the coaching staff will choose to do “what the best thing for the Bears is.” On the defensive end of the ball, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson finally got his first interception of the preseason. Since the first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans, Stevenson has been making plays all over the field and displaying his physicality. At times, that physicality has drawn a flag, but that is something he can learn from going forward. “He’s a competitor, you know, and he likes to do, he’s got really good ball skills,” Eberflus explained. “I know he’s (been) wanting to get that interception, you know, in the preseason, and, you know, he knew he missed the first couple. But, I’m glad he got that one.” Trevis Gipson has also been a solid player this preseason. The fourth-year defensive lineman out of Tulsa has gotten a sack in two of the three preseason games this season and has consistently been in the backfield. However, he has now requested a trade. Eberflus declined to say much on the state of the situation. But, he would give us a positive update on offensive lineman Doug Kramer, who was injured late in the first quarter. Given the offensive line injuries already present, having yet another offensive lineman go down is quite concerning for Chicago. Luckily, things are looking good for Kramer. “We think he’s going to be okay. We’ll see where it goes,” Kramer. “We’ll take a look at it here overnight and see (because) lots of times things happen overnight, but we’ll see where it is, but it looks positive.” Now that the preseason is over, the coaching staff is on the clock to start narrowing down who will be on the 53-man roster. The deadline is Tuesday, August 29 at 3 p.m. for NFL teams to make all their roster cuts. Then, the Bears will start their season on Sunday, September 10, facing the Green Bay Packers (3:25 p.m./FOX), who will look quite different from last season with Jordan Love at the helm.
