Chicago Bears: 4 offensive takeaways from second preseason game

A shuffle on the depth chart?

The Bears’ offense came out with very few starting weapons on the field. Running back Taquan Mizzell got the start while undrafted rookie Ryan Nall played the backup role. Mizzell, as a whole, was not terribly impressive.

Although MIzzell scored the lone rushing touchdown on the night, thanks to a fantastic block by rookie James Daniels, he didn’t do much else to get excited about. I noted Mizzell as a guy who was not only playing for the last running back spot on this roster, but potentially a spot on another roster once final cuts are made.

He did not do a lot to help his case against the Bengals.

Nall, on the other hand, gave some fans reason to call this “The Ryan Nall Game.” While that might be somewhat laughable, especially since it was during a meaningless exhibition against lower-tier players, one shouldn’t look past what Nall was able to accomplish.

In the second half, Nall ripped off an impressive 69-yard run down the sideline before being brought down. The easy negative reaction would be to say that he doesn’t have the breakaway speed — to which I would reply, “Duh.”

Nall is more of a hybrid back who can give you reps at fullback as well, so we need to remember that. On the night, Nall compiled 95 yards rushing on nine carries. A performance like this just may have given coaches reason to seriously consider keeping him over Mizzell, should they keep four backs. Even cutting fullback Michael Burton and keeping Nall would make a lot of sense, especially after seeing what the kid can do Thursday night.