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Bear Digest

The Key Questions for Chicago Bears Coming Out of Loss to Bengals

Coming out of the second preseason game, the Bears answered questions but have more questions still as they look to close preseason againstTennessee.
Gene Chamberlain|
Cam Lewis of the Bears tries to tackle Bengals receiver Dohnte Meyers. Lewis got a start ahead of Xavier Woods on Saturday.
Cam Lewis of the Bears tries to tackle Bengals receiver Dohnte Meyers. Lewis got a start ahead of Xavier Woods on Saturday. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Chicago Bears

Every game in the NFL produces answers, and those answers lead to more questions.

Even preseason games, like Saturday's 27-9 Bears loss to Cincinnati, follow this pattern. The questions might even be more numerous because it is only preseason.

It might be what happened in the game or even before it, but there were more questions arising from the Bengals-Bears game and practice, carrying over to this week's Titans practice and game.

Here are seven big question to come out of a Bears loss at Cincinnati.

1. What happened to Austin Booker?

Although they used starters against the Bengals, one of their starting edge players didn't play at all. Dayo Odeyingbo was in for 16 snaps coming back from Achilles surgery, six more than Montez Sweat. Yet, Booker didn't suit up and hadn't been listed with any injured players.

The Bears need Booker healthy badly for the start of the season. They can't stand to have the same thing happen that happened last year, when he was injured on special teams in a preseason game and missed half the schedule. Then again, if Booker isn't hurt, then why rest him when they're playing Montez Sweat?

2. Why didn't Xavier Woods start against Bengals

Apparently he ranks behind Cam Lewis in the safety pecking order because they started Lewis and then brought in Woods.

Eventually, Woods finished with 14 reps on defense. Woods, who is 31, has played over 6,800 snaps at safety in his career. Lewis has been a slot cornerback as much as he has been a safety, and has been a sub as often as he has been a starter.

Are the Bears unhappy with what they've had from Woods?

3. Is Marcus Davenport the new Larry Ogunjobi?

He signed on Aug. 17. Ben Johnson said he would need to be ramped up a bit to start practicing.

It's almost a week and he hasn't been involved in practice and certainly didn't play. Did he injure himself signing the contract? Ogunjobi signed and failed a physical, then never played for the Bears.

Maybe Davenport just requires a bigger ramp based on all of his past injuries?

4. Who else have the Bears taken care of?

When the Bears reported for camp, GM Ryan Poles was re-assuring everyone about some injuries.

Poles said Elijah Hicks, their backup safety to Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman, had an injury.

"Elijah Hicks has some discomfort in his shin; we got that taken care of," Poles said. "So that’s going to take a little bit of time, but he’s on the mend, he’s walking around; we don’t see that as anything major."

Hicks hasn't been taken off of the PUP list.

Poles also said something else, this about rookie linebacker Keyshaun Elliott.

"Keyshaun Elliott has some discomfort in his back; we took care of that," Poles said of their fifth-round pick. "He’s in really good shape, if you saw him walking around you would have no idea — he’s running. Obviously, there’s return-to-play protocol where you’re getting back to being a football player in terms of your strength, your conditioning, so he’ll be in that.

The two players they "took care of" still haven't practiced almost a month later.

Who else did they "take care of" and who's doing the taking care?

Like Hicks, Kevin White had a shin issue and then the first Bears pick of the 2015 draft never really did anything in his career. A back injury is never a good thing for a linebacker.

5. How far did Kaden Davis fall?

With people covering the team all but giving the practice squad journeyman a roster spot after one preseason effort, Davis came out of Week 2 in preseason with only one target and no catches. For Davis to make the roster as a fifth or sixth receiver, he'd need to be entirely useful as a return/coverage man. He had two kick returns of 29 and 19 yards and had punt returns of 12 and minus-1 yard. None of this speaks to kicking down the door and making a roster.

Davis has to be so good that he causes the Bears to decide against keeping a player at another needed position. Game 2 was not that good.

6. Will the more accurate Caleb Williams show up again?

His only preseason effort to date was 2-of-5 with a missed receiver near the goal line. His practice at Cincinnati turned up a nice completion to Dexter Lawrence, the Bengals defensive lineman. Including that one, he threw three interceptions in practice to go with some good red zone work.

Johnson suggested the pass Williams overthrew against Cincinnati to Colston Loveland should have gone elsewhere, but if a receiver is open for a TD and is spotted who cares if it's where the coach intends for the ball to be thrown?

There was nothing but talk of the more accurate Williams when camp started and as it's progressed there has been less and less evidence of it.

7. And, of course, when is Kyler Gordon coming back?

Johnson keeps getting asked about this and the answer is always the same. Status quo hasn't changed with the injured calf muscle. No one is sure.

At this point, it appears they're hoping Malik Muhammad can play there instead, but Muhammad struggled again in that position in Saturday's game. He's more of a boundary corner.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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