Bear Digest

What Preseason Numbers and PFF Grades Said for Bears Offense

Analysis: Pro Football Focus' final preseason grades verify what statistics from four Bears games are saying about the offense's strength and depth.
Gene Chamberlain|
Center Doug Kramer (68) celebrates with QB Tyson Bagent after a touchdown in Bears preseason.
Center Doug Kramer (68) celebrates with QB Tyson Bagent after a touchdown in Bears preseason. | Jenna Watson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Chicago Bears

While it's difficult to ascertain much more than generalities from preseason play, individual player grades can mean something.

No one cares that the Bears went unbeaten for the second time in three of Matt Eberflus' preseasons. They were 4-0 and were 3-0 in 2022. Yawn.

What is necessary is execution and improvement by players through offseason and training camp. Grades Pro Football Focus posts definitely reflect this regarding the Bears offense. It's further proof coordinator Shane Waldron and his staff are guiding the attack in the right direction.

It goes well beyond the play of the quarterbacks, which was exemplary by the way. No interceptions by anyone through four games is something they would do well to duplicate in the regular season.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of offensive grading by PFF comes on the Bears offensive line. They had offensive line grades any team would love, including from reserves.

The highest graded Bears offensive lineman was a player Eberflus commended for his play once in camp. It was Bill Murray. He had 125 reps in preseason, which were two to three times more reps than starters had. And yet, Murray had an 88.5 grade going against backups. Only quarterback Tyson Bagent graded out higher (88.8) and had only 57 reps for his grade.

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Murray's pass blocking earned a tremendous 90.8 PFF grade, best of anyone on offense for pass blocking.                                                                                                                                                       

Murray's play wasn't even the biggest shocker among offensive line grades, however. His name was mentioned by Eberflus and assistants, so his efforts were recognized.

Bears 2022 sixth-round center Doug Kramer, the Illinois product, had the second-best overall offensive line grade at 83.2 for 76 reps and it included an outstanding 84.4 pass blocking grade. Kramer is behind both Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates on the center depth chart but his consistent preseason production shows he needed to be more seriously regarded in that positional battle.

More importantly, with Bates still injured the Bears could need Kramer close at hand heading into the regular season. Putting him on practice squad might cause them to lose him, like when he was signed away by Arizona last year before the Cardinals wavied him and he returned to Chicago.

Tackle Aviante Collins and guard Ja'Tyre Carter also had high marks as did Teven Jenkins, but he had only 42 reps.

Talking about backup players' blocking grades normally would be like discussing the weather on the moon. What difference does it make when you can't live there? The backup linemen aren't playing in the regular season, so who cares? But it does say something about starters.

If the backups are executing at a high level and did it for four preseason games—not the three almost every other team played—then it stands to reason coaching and the offensive approach have made a huge impact across the roster.

The Bears outscored opponents in preseason 104-40 over the last three quarters, only 10 of those points coming from their first team when Caleb Williams and starters were playing in the second quarter against Cincinnati. Yet the execution remained constant whoe

There are other conclusions to draw from this.

One is the entire offensive roster is elevated in talent and in ability to execute the attack.

The other is that with so many offensive linemen showing up well against backup players, they have an abundance of depth and maybe even the ability to trade a lineman if they wanted to pick up a draft pick for the future.

Something else came out from the final PFF grades, but even moreso from team statistics for the preseason.

It's still a jinx to lead the Bears in receptions in preseason. No one has led them in catches since Deonte Thompson in 2017 and still been on the opening day 53-man roster.

Tight end Tommy Sweeney led in catches this year and has already been cut.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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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.