The Chicago Bears great, good, and bad performances against the Chiefs

Braxton Jones looked good at left tackle

The biggest surprise of training camp was Braxton Jones, a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft out of Southern Utah, being named the starting left tackle. The offensive line was a huge issue for the Bears last season. Poles signed veteran Riley Reiff, who did not play in the game, before training camp. It was widely believed Reiff would be the starting left tackle.

Instead, Reiff is unofficially slated to start at right tackle and Jones is getting the reps at left tackle with the starters. Turning to a rookie who was last seen taking on Big Sky pass rushers to protect Fields’ blindside is a huge gamble.

Jones showed why the coaching staff has him at the top of the depth chart. He held his own in his first NFL action.

Jones used his athleticism and size to nicely recover after defensive end Mike Danna initially beat him off the snap. That recovery allowed Fields to spring loose for a nice gain off of a scramble. He owned his matchup with Danna. He held his own against a solid veteran in Frank Clark. Rookie George Karlaftis was the only Chiefs’ pass rusher that did get the best of him–although it was only one time.

Jones will have to continue to work on his technique and prove he can handle his assignments when opposing defenses run more exotic blitz packages at him. Against a vanilla defensive scheme, Jones showed he can play at the NFL level.

Khyiris Tonga was really good on the defensive line

The box score shows last year’s seventh-round pick had just one tackle. He was an absolute force on the defensive line. Tonga demanded double teams with how he was bursting off the line.

He blew up a third-and-one play early in the second quarter that forced the Chiefs’ first three-and-out series.

The Chicago Bears are switching to a 4-3 front and while Tonga was drafted to fit last year’s 3-4 scheme, he seems to be adjusting nicely to the nose tackle position in the new defensive system.

He has been having a good camp and it showed against the Chiefs.

Trestan Ebner ran well in his debut.

Starting running back David Montgomery did not suit up as he is battling an injury so Khalil Herbert got the start. He had some decent runs but also struggled to bring in a few passes.

Ebner, this year’s sixth-round pick, came in with the second-string offense and showed he can be a viable third-down back. He scored the Bears’ first touchdown on a well-run route. He ran strong on his six carries with one going for 27 yards.

Jack Sanborn made his case to make the roster.

The Lake Zurich, Illinois native made a strong case to make the 53-man roster. He had seven tackles along with an interception and fumble recovery.

The Bears’ linebacker unit had a tough day, especially with Smith not in uniform. Sanborn looked impressive as he was always around the ball and showed great instincts. He played well on special teams as well.