Five Chicago Bears players to watch against the Tennessee Titans

Jaye Howard, Defensive End

The Chicago Bears signed Jaye Howard to a one-year deal after he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs. Howard was interested in the Chicago Bears in the 2016 offseason, yet chose to resign with the Chiefs. The interest clearly never wavered by Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace.

I can not blame Ryan Pace a bit for signing Jaye Howard. He was tied for second in highest run stop percentage in the league, in 2016.

That run-stopping prowess that he possesses was on display when the Chicago Bears played the Arizona Cardinals. In week one of the preseason, against the Denver Broncos, Howard played with the backups in the third quarter and made some plays. He was rewarded by playing with the starters in the second preseason game.

On this play, Jaye Howard displays his strength and short-area burst to blow up the left guard. After the left guard is taken out of the play, Howard is able to meet the running back in the backfield for a tackle-for-loss.

As I stated earlier, the Tennessee Titans have a great rushing attack. DeMarco Murray rushed for 1,287 yards in 2016. The Chicago Bears are going to need Jaye Howard to make plays against the talented Titans’ offensive line in order to slow Murray down.

Next: Predicting the Bears' 53-man roster to start season

Howard has a chance to make a big impact in this game. If he continues to dominate against the run, he should be in the running to start up front next to Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman in Week 1.