5 Chicago Bears takeaways from Pre-Season Week 1

P.J. Walker doesn’t look like a great answer as the backup quarterback

I’ll stress once more that this is just preseason, but P.J. Walker’s struggles concern me.

I left Family Fest unimpressed by Walker as he was the only QB to turn the ball over in team drills. I would never expect him to replicate Justin Fields’ ability, but the sharp downgrade in execution was hard to ignore.

He continued his unimpressive ways in Week 1 of the Preseason by tossing a bad interception in the first half, the only interception thrown by a Bears QB all day despite Nathan Peterman seeing action under center.

Here’s to hoping (actually, praying) that Justin Fields is kept clean this season.

The rookie class continues to flash

Although there were no highlight-reel plays by the 2023 rookie class, Ryan Poles’ new toys were on display multiple times throughout the afternoon.

Tyrique Stevenson was the one who stood out the most. He led the team with seven solo tackles and should’ve had an interception on tight coverage early on in the game. He’s going to be a vital player this season.

Third-rounder Zacch Pickens had a sack, Roschon Johnson ripped off the Bears’ longest run of the afternoon in the third quarter, Travis Bell picked up a sack in the fourth quarter and Darnell Wright seemed to hold his own during his time.

The only sore spot in an otherwise bright afternoon for the rookies came when Tyler Scott lost a fumble after catching a slant pass from P.J. Walker. Scott has had trouble with drops in camp so far as well. Hopefully, the rookie can learn from these missteps and become better for them.